today at one, ambulance waiting times in england rise sharply, amid warnings the nhs is being driven to breaking point. more than 11,000 ambulances waited for over an hour outside a&e departments last week. she deteriorated mentally really quickly, and that is a direct result of how poorly she was because of how long she'd been left. why are waiting times just getting longer and longer? we'll take a look. also this lunchtime: a black british charity boss who was repeatedly asked where she was "really" from at a royal reception has told the bbc she felt abused.

no matter how uncomfortable it is for other_ no matter how uncomfortable it is for other people to accept, i am very— for other people to accept, i am very clear— for other people to accept, i am very clear that i experienced racism in an_ very clear that i experienced racism in an environment that i should have felt safe _ in an environment that i should have felt safe in — there's a warning to dispose of household batteries more safely, after hundreds of fires in bin lorries and waste facilities every year. hello, iam hello, i am rob... and a cbeebies first, as former rugby league player rob burrow reads the bedtime story, using a voice computer, to mark the international day of persons with disabilities. and coming up on the bbc news channel, a record—breaking opening day for england's cricketers — four players pass their centuries on their return to pakistan after 17 years.

seniorfigures in the nhs are warning that pressures on england's ambulance service are reaching breaking point. new figures show waiting times outside hospitals worsened last month, with more than 11,000 ambulance crews a week, or one in seven, stuck in queues of at least an hour outside a&e. the government insists more funding has been made available to free up beds to allow ambulances to drop off patients more quickly. 0ur health correspondent jim reed has the story. just a few months ago, mary lynn was up, about and mobile. then she had a fall at her home in southampton. it took an ambulance more than seven hours to reach her, when it should have taken three at most. the doctors had said not to move her off the floor in case she'd damaged any bones or anything like that. and when they did eventually arrive, she was really poorly, and i thought i was going to lose her. when she got to hospital,

mary lynn had to wait in the ambulance before she could be moved into a&e. she's now recovering, but that day has taken its toll. she deteriorated mentally, and that is a direct result of how poorly she was because of how long she'd been left. you can see now the 23 ambulances with patients... this has been a problem across much of the country. hospital backlogs mean often there's not enough room for ambulances to unload sick patients. when they get to a&e, paramedics should be able to deliver patients in under 15 minutes, but more othan 11,000 crews a week in england are now stuck outside for an hour or more, with scotland, wales and northern ireland facing similar pressure. it such a frustrating place to be in, and you almost feel powerless as a professional, because you want to do your best for your patients,

and you're working in a system that is not letting you do that. in england, it's now taking more than an hour on average to respond to someone with a stroke or possible heart attack. in some cases, it's much longer. 85—year—old kula had to wait 1a hours for paramedics after breaking her hip in cornwall. it's not really a state that anybody should be left in for that length of time, because you don't know what complications it could lead to. but when paramedics tried to drop her at hospital, there was another wait, this time for 26 hours, in the back of an ambulance, before she could be admitted. i cannot fault the ambulance crews, the paramedics, the nurses or doctors at all in any of this. this is a whole—system failure. it's just really traumatic for her. and to see a family member like that, it'sjust horrid, absolutely horrible. the government says there is extra funding to pay for more staff and free up hospital beds. a full emergency care plan is due in the new year.

but with winter coming, along with strike action involving some nurses and ambulance services, hospital bosses are warning of difficult times ahead. jim reed, bbc news. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, is here. the royal college of emergency medicine have said that disruption to emergency care is contributing to death figures being higher than normal at this time of year. first, clive, the royal college has said that they estimate that about a quarter of excess deaths of that is the number of deaths over and above what you would expect for this time of year, are caused by delays in ambulances getting to patients and to a&e. now, that isjust ambulances getting to patients and to a&e. now, that is just their analysis, there are many causes for excess deaths, for example conditions which were not treated in the early stages of the pandemic, but that is their view. certainly, talking to paramedics out on the road, you really get a sense of

their frustration, road, you really get a sense of theirfrustration, saying how upset they feel that they are often stuck in hospital corridors, unable to handover patients to a&e because a&e is so busy, and a now they need to get back out there. nhs england says it is a perfect storm, they say senior management of the nhs in england, and hospitals are 95% full on the latest figures, very nearly full, before we have even got into the real depths of winter, and a point again to the fact that, with 13,000 beds occupied by patients who are medically fit to leave, but they cannot because of delays in community and social care, and they say flu cases are much higher than you would expect for this time of year. so i very difficult situation, and of course it is replicated in the nhs, in all parts of the uk, pressures on hospitals, gp services, ambulances and social care. hugh

. m, ambulances and social care. hugh pym. thank— ambulances and social care. hugh pym. thank yom _ a charity boss who's black and was repeatedly asked where she came from at a buckingham palace reception says she felt abused by the encounter. ngozi fulani, who's british and a founder of sistah space, which works to support abused women, likened the conversation with lady susan hussey to "an interrogation". lady susan, who's 83, is godmother to the prince of wales and has now resigned from the royal household. the palace has described her remarks as "unacceptable and deeply regrettable". here's our royal correspondent sarah campbell. ngozi fulani, standing next to the queen consort, with her back to the camera, was at buckingham palace in her role as a prominent campaigner helping women and families affected by domestic abuse. minutes after arriving, she was approached by a palace aide, lady susan hussey. 1dietitian palace aide, lady susan hussey. when she approached _ palace aide, lady susan hussey. when she approached me, _ palace aide, lady susan hussey. when she approached me, one _ palace aide, lady susan hussey. when she approached me, one of— palace aide, lady susan hussey. ewen she approached me, one of the first things she did was to take my locks and move it out of the way. no

conversation at first, and then she says, ijust want conversation at first, and then she says, i just want to see your name badge. m5 says, i “ust want to see your name badae. ~ , . says, i “ust want to see your name badie, ~ , ., ., says, i “ust want to see your name badae. ~, ., ., �* , badge. ms fulani, a british national. — badge. ms fulani, a british national, then _ badge. ms fulani, a british national, then says - badge. ms fulani, a british national, then says she - badge. ms fulani, a british| national, then says she was repeatedly and aggressively questioned. i’m repeatedly and aggressively questioned.— repeatedly and aggressively questioned. repeatedly and aggressively cuestioned. �* ., ., , questioned. i'm from here, i was born here- _ questioned. i'm from here, i was born here. yeah, _ questioned. i'm from here, i was born here. yeah, but— questioned. i'm from here, i was born here. yeah, but where - questioned. i'm from here, i was born here. yeah, but where are i questioned. i'm from here, i was i born here. yeah, but where are you really from? i am really from here. yeah, but, really from? iam really from here. yeah, but, 0k, really from? iam really from here. yeah, but, ok, i really from? iam really from here. yeah, but, 0k, ican really from? i am really from here. yeah, but, 0k, ican see really from? i am really from here. yeah, but, ok, i can see that this is going to be a bit of a challenge. she said, what is your nationality? and i said, lady, iam born here, i was british. i was thinking that would be the end of it, but no. leda; would be the end of it, but no. lady susan hussey _ would be the end of it, but no. lady susan hussey come _ would be the end of it, but no. lady susan hussey come here in the blue, who was a lady in waiting to queen elizabeth for six decades, stepped aside from her honorary role yesterday. a palace statement said the individual concerned expressed her profound apologies for what happened. are you clear in your mind that what happened was a racist incident? i am

happened was a racist incident? i am ve clear, happened was a racist incident? i am very clear. right. _ happened was a racist incident? i am very clear, right, no _ happened was a racist incident? i —n very clear, right, no matter how uncomfortable it is for other people to accept, i am very clear that i experienced racism in an environment that i should have felt safe in, and we need to address that. the that i should have felt safe in, and we need to address that.— we need to address that. the row overshadowed _ we need to address that. the row overshadowed the _ we need to address that. the row overshadowed the arrival - we need to address that. the row overshadowed the arrival in - we need to address that. the row overshadowed the arrival in the i overshadowed the arrival in the united states of the prince and princess of wales, the focus was supposed to be on environmental issues, but instead, before they landed, the spokesperson was compelled to make the royal couple's position clear, that racism has no place in our society. buckingham palace said in a statement that it had reached out to ngozi fulani. today she says she is still waiting for direct contact to be made. nobody has reached out to us directly from the palace. we would look forward to a conversation, because there's can't be, i'm sorry and move on. sarah campbell reporting there. our correspondents nada tawfik is live

in boston, where the prince and princess of wales are visiting, is there a risk that this controversy could overshadow the royal trip? well, clive, we have already seen, as the prince and princess of wales started this whole trip at boston city hall, that it was already mentioned. we had a reverend and community activist telling the crowd that she would ask all of them to consider the legacy of colonialism and racism, so very much the rest here that this will add to the whole view that this trip is viewed in. for example, we are looking at william and catherine coming to boston at a time when united states and the monarchy has changed very much since their last strap in 2014, and as they look to cast themselves as the modern face of the monarchy, looking into the future, they will have to show just what looking into the future, they will have to showjust what kind of public servants they wish to be.

now, today they will be looking at here in boston, a coastal city, some of the efforts being made to combat climate change. they will be visiting one of the largest north american clean start—up incubators here, but they also will be spending time, which was on the schedule, clive, at a nonprofit which looks to work with high—risk youth, and i think many people will be looking at that and the sort of commitment that william and catherine plan to make to these communities, and what statements they can make here in the united states, to show that they are really looking to the future. bk. really looking to the future. 0k, thank ou really looking to the future. 0k, thank you for— really looking to the future. 0k, thank you for that, _ really looking to the future. 0k, thank you for that, nada tawfik in boston. a builder who described himself as a "psychopath with a conscience" has been found guilty of murdering two escorts six months apart. mark brown killed leah ware in may and alexandra morgan at a remote farm near st leonards in east sussex in november last year after meeting them through a sex—work website, a jury at hove crown court was told. duncan kennedy reports.

dog barking. hello, it's the police. do you want to just go inside for us? when police arrested mark brown, they thought he'd killed one woman. it soon became clear that wasn't the case. they discovered he had murdered not only alex morgan, but leah ware as well — two young mothers who died six months apart. mark brown, a labourer, had met alex morgan on an adult website. he brought both women to these isolated farm buildings near hastings for sex. mark brown told the court when he met alex morgan here at the farm, she slipped on a workshop floor, hit her head on the ground and died. he said he then panicked and didn't tell the authorities. when it came to leah ware, he said he had no idea where she went. 0n the day she died, security cameras caught alex morgan buying petrol en route

to mark brown's farm. 28 minutes later, she's seen following brown's car into the farm, where shortly after, he killed her. he later burned her body in this oil drum. when police searched his van, they found a prescription — it belonged to a second woman, leah ware. leah had also gone as a sex worker to mark brown's farm and laterformed a relationship with him. but in may last year, she too disappeared. her body has never been found. to cover his tracks, police believe brown drowned leah's beloved dog lady in this pond at the farm. mark brown is an enigma, really, he is cold, he is heartless, he is ruthless, he is a narcissist, and i have no doubt, if we had not have caught mark brown, he may well have gone on to do something similar. this massivejoint operation by

both kent and sussex police did make extensive inquiries to see if there were more victims, but officers say there are none. mark brown, they say, was a calculating individual obsessed with violent pornography. someone who left the families of leah ware and alex morgan devastated — two women who, between them, leave behind five young children. duncan kennedy, bbc news. citizens advice says more and more people are slipping further into debt simply trying to cover the bare essentials like food and energy. researchers warn a growing number of pensioners and homeowners are seeking help, battling what they describe a "ticking time bomb of debt". here's hannah miller. david mcginley wants to give his children the best, but increasingly his family

are struggling just to get by. are you borrowing to pay for basics like food? well, my wife's dad actually lent us money this week to get shopping for the kids. so we're not too bothered about us, but they didn't have sandwich stuff for school and stuff and teas this week. so her dad actually helped us out. but we're just desperate at times. david looks after two—year—old jack while his wife is working full—time in a care home. he also has a part—time job in the corner shop. i've got £7.43 on the electric, which is roughly two days. the family have a debt management plan to gradually pay back around £7,000 afterfalling behind on bills including energy and council tax. once you start falling behind, you know, luckily, we've got family who can lend us money, help us out, but then we've got to pay them back. you're just for ever chasing a never—ending debt.

it looks like even now, with christmas coming up, we have had to borrow money off two or three family members. we've not even gone out and started yet. how do you feel about christmas coming up? guilt — ifeel guilty. the charity citizens advice is warning that more and more people have less than zero left to spend at the end of the month. the average amount their debt clients have remaining after paying essential living costs is just 1p. it's heartbreaking, really. especially if you think about the clients that we've got coming in. a lot of them will be single parents, and they're really struggling to put food on the table and stuff like that. priority debts are things like rent and mortgage arrears, council tax arrears and energy arrears, and we're seeing substantial rises in all of them. so the people who are coming in to us, they may not have as much debt as maybe in the past, but those debts are the essentials that we all need to keep going.

and again, push, push. good girl, well done, clever poppy! linda relies on her assistance dog poppy for help around the house, but she's not entitled to extra cost of living payments because of the type of disability benefit she receives. we're in a dilemma now of do we leave the heating off and manage the bills or do we turn the heating on and not pay the bills? so it's a bit of a dilemma. do you run a debt up or do you stay out of debt and stay cold? do you feel like it's inevitable that by the end of the winter you will be borrowing money? yes, yeah, i do feel it's inevitable. can i have my purse, please, poppy? thank you. and with more and more people struggling to find the cash to meet their basic needs, charities fear the rising cost of living will have long—term consequences — and leave many more needing support. hannah miller reporting there.

uk house prices saw their biggest monthly fall for more the snp's leader at westminster, ian blackford, is to step down from the role. in a statement he says he won't seek re—election at the party's general meeting next week, claiming it's time for "fresh leadership". 0ur chief political correspondent, nick eardley is at westminster. is this a surprise? well, clive, ian blackford does _ is this a surprise? well, clive, ian blackford does have _ is this a surprise? well, clive, ian blackford does have actually - is this a surprise? well, clive, ian blackford does have actually quite is this a surprise? well, clive, ian i blackford does have actually quite a public role in hisjob as westminster leader. it gets those couple of questions at prime minister's questions every week because the snp is the third party. he's been doing thejob because the snp is the third party. he's been doing the job for five years but the truth is there has been a fair bit of speculation about his future for quite a few months now, actually, there were some snp mps who are not totally satisfied with his performance in the house of commons, there were some who thought that the partyjust commons, there were some who thought that the party just wasn't making enough of an impact at westminster and although mr blackford is broadly liked within his party i think many of his colleagues have decided that it was time for a change as well, so

mr blackford will stand down next week at the party's agm in parliament. it means there will be someone new in place for prime minister's questions next week. nobody has officially declared that they are going to stand yet but i've spoken to quite a few people in the snp in the past hour or so and one name that keeps coming up is the aberdeen mp stephen flynn. i think he is very likely to stand and very likely to win although it's not impossible someone else tries to get the job as well. qm. impossible someone else tries to get the job as well-— it's 1:16 it's1:16 p m. our top story this lunchtime... nhs ambulance waiting times have risen sharply. coming up, the woman referee taking charge of a men's world cup game for the first time. the moment of history in germany's

match against costa rica stephanie frappart leads an all female team to referee for the first time. discarded batteries in household rubbish are causing hundreds of fires a year, in bin lorries and waste facilities. councils across the uk are warning that dead batteries should be disposed of properly at recycling centres, and not in bins or the general recycling. part of the problem are so—called hidden batteries, in things like phones, electric toothbrushes, toys, and even musical greeting cards. here's our science correspondent, victoria gill. the first smoke is subtle. but within minutes this smouldering pile is a majorfire. while no one was hurt, this aberdeenshire recycling facility was destroyed and the company says the most likely cause was a battery inside a discarded electrical device. we're using and disposing of more and more electrical items.

and contained in many of those devices are lithium—ion batteries. more and more of the people are putting these devices in their general rubbish or they're mixing with them with their normal recycling and that causes a real problem for facilities like this, because they have a tendency once damaged to explode or ignite, and when you put them in your general rubbish or your recycling they're likely to be crushed, compacted, smashed, they might get wet and that can cause them to become damaged or to short—circuit, and then of course they're in the presence of lots of other flammable material like plastic and paper and card, and that can lead to quite big fires. many particularly small electrical items are making their way into these facilities hidden in huge mixed piles of household rubbish. this cctv footage shows the danger. when they're crushed, lithium—ion batteries can heat up and explode. many of us have numerous small electrical devices

like these in our homes, so if you want to dispose of them safely, how do you do it? well, there is a website where you can enter your postcode and find the nearest collection box that will take your device. the best thing to do is to bring it to your recycling centre and you can dispose of that safely with other small electrical items. but also supermarkets — a lot of supermarkets will have recycling points especially for batteries, so you can dispose of them there as well. waste campaigners and fire safety experts who've seen the dangers up close are calling for much clearer rules and government guidance on how to safely dispose of electrical devices, but the lesson here, they say, is never put electricals or batteries in your household rubbish. victoria gill, bbc news. history will be made tonight, as a female referee takes charge of a men's world cup game for the first time. stephanie frappart, from france, will lead a team of three women, as germany seeks to avoid early elimination against costa rica.

0ur senior sports news correspondent laura scott has been speaking to her. after years of climbing the refereeing ranks, today, in qatar, comes a significant moment in the sun for female officials, as the trailblazing frenchwoman stephanie frappart becomes the first woman to take charge of a men's world cup match. before the tournament she told me that despite the enormity of the occasion she feels ready for the opportunity. the men's world cup is the most important competition in the world, not only in football, so we know that there is a lot of expectations. there was always pressure, there are always pressure in the matches and also when you are women you have more pressure because they are always new. i was always welcome in the stadiums, so i feel like another referee inside the pitch. the attention on frappart�*s history—making moment will be amplified by how much is riding on the match she's officiating —

tonight's group e clash between costa rica and germany. but she's been given a clear vote of confidence by germany's coach. translation: i trust her 100%. i think she deserves to be here due to her performance and her achievements. we're looking forward to this performance. i hope she's looking forward to this match and us as a team. i think she'll perform very well. frappart won't be breaking down this barrier alone. she'll be accompanied by two female assistants, making it the first all—female on—field refereeing team. but how comfortable does she feel that this step forward comes at a tournament hosted by a country whose record on women's rights has come under intense scrutiny? it's not me who decided this world cup. when you are selected for the world cup, how can you say women are not going? i was many times in qatar, i was always welcome, i was no problem with qatar,

so we know that there is some difficulties there for the women, but i think this world cup will help them. for so long in refereeing women were on the fringes. now, on the biggest stage of them all, there will be a woman in the middle. laura scott, bbc news. england face senegal on sunday in their last 16 match, the first of their last 16 match, the first of the knockout stages. the manager gareth southgate has a lot to ponder as he considers his starting 11. let's talk to alex howell, who is england's training ground now. any suggestion about who might be in and who be out? ., , , ., suggestion about who might be in and who be out? high, clive, as you said there's a lot — who be out? high, clive, as you said there's a lot to _ who be out? high, clive, as you said there's a lot to think _ who be out? high, clive, as you said there's a lot to think about _ who be out? high, clive, as you said there's a lot to think about for - there's a lot to think about for gareth southgate going into that match against senegal on sunday. we've just come from training, where all 25 players were out on the pitch, only ben white who withdrew from the squad has left and he has a

lot to decide about, doesn't he, the england managerfollowing lot to decide about, doesn't he, the england manager following the performances of marcus rashford and phil foden. earlier today, west ham midfielder declan rice spoke to us and he told us why having so many options it's such a strength for england going into this tournament. it's always nice to know that you can bring players off the bench that can instantly change the game. you know, whether that's we're drawing 0—0 and we need a freshen up upfront, or we need to change the legs in midfield, or even at the back, we've got players that are world class that can come on and change the game instantly. throughout a world cup you're going to need that quality. coming into the knockout stages the first real and serious talk about penalties. declan rice says the team are feeling confident. the manager gareth southgate will be hoping the side can get it done in 90 minutes and that the england team can start focusing on the quarterfinals. bile}. focusing on the quarterfinals. alex howell, thanks _ focusing on the quarterfinals. alex howell, thanks for _ focusing on the quarterfinals. alex howell, thanks for that, at the england training camp.

for the first time since 2005, england's cricketers are playing a test match in pakistan. security concerns have prevented tours taking place for almost a generation of their players. but england made up for lost time with a truly remarkable, record—breaking day. they finished on 506—4, the most runs ever scored on the first day of a test. joe wilson was watching. rawalpindi, finally, a first england test match in pakistan for 17 years began on time because england found 11 healthy players. that's ben duckett doing his thing. batting with him, zak crawley. the virus in the england camp had relented so spare your sympathy for pakistan's bowlers. welcome england reads the sign, they were delighted to be there. , . . sign, they were delighted to be there. , ., . ':: .,~ sign, they were delighted to be there. , ':: ., , there. test match 104 zak crawley. crawle to there. test match 104 zak crawley. crawley to 100 _ there. test match 104 zak crawley. crawley to 100 from _ there. test match 104 zak crawley. crawley to 100 from just _ there. test match 104 zak crawley. crawley to 100 from just 86 - there. test match 104 zak crawley. crawley to 100 from just 86 balls. i crawley to 100 from just 86 balls. 0n crawley to 100 from just 86 balls. on your feet in the dressing room and why sit down? the runs, the records, the celebrations kept

coming. key factors, helpful conditions, england's bold ambition and some questionable fielding. it and some questionable fielding. it gets to the fence... duckett - and some questionable fielding. it gets to the fence... duckett made j gets to the fence... duckett made 107, then gets to the fence... duckett made 107. then it _ gets to the fence... duckett made 107, then it was _ gets to the fence... duckett made 107, then it was ollie _ gets to the fence... duckett made 107, then it was ollie pope's - 107, then it was 0llie pope's chance, another fluently forceful innings, another 100, yeah, chance, another fluently forceful innings, another100, yeah, him too. the most dismissive batting only came now, harry brook in 1/424 on his way to a century. 400 makers on the first day of a test match, 506 runs, astonishing records. england are back in pakistan but playing as they've never done before. joe wilson, bbc news. the former rugby league player, rob burrow, is to read the cbeebies bedtime story, on the international day of persons with disabilities, this saturday. the former leeds rhinos player, lives with motor neurone disease, and will be using an eye—controlled computer to read the story, which recreates the words in his own yorkshire accent. graham satchell has that story.

rob burrow with his family at the cbeebies studio. who is it? i'm shy! hey, nice to meet you. is your name jackson? cbeebies' bedtime story. hello, i'm rob. i can't use my voice in the way that maybe you can, which is why i use this computer to talk for me. it's called an eye gaze. i use my eyes to gaze or look at the words and it speaks for me. it's like magic. watching at home in sunderland, lucy, and her mum, jo. lucy has cerebral palsy and also uses a computer to help her communicate. where did you go? in bolton, this is beach class at green fold school. many of the children here have learning difficulties and are non—verbal. i used to play rugby as myjob, but something happened that made my world go upside down. it made me feel topsy—turvy but i was brave and didn't give up.

rob is reading a book called tilda tries again. it tells the story of a happy little girl whose world unexpectedly turns upside down. tilda sees a ladybird stuck on its back. then the ladybird tried again. and again... ..and again... ..until at last it flew free. tilda thought about this. the ladybird hadn't given up, so neither would she. in sunderland, lucy used her device to tell us what she thought. i feel happy rob used eye gaze while reading cbeebies' bedtime story. lucy's grown up watching the bedtime story and never until now has - she seen herself represented in that wax _ she's been so excited thinkingj that this was going to happen. ijust think it's incredible. even though at times things felt a little topsy—turvy and she wanted to give up, she didn't.

she just kept on trying.