this is bbc news. the headlines... the first parts of the much hyped harry and meghan series are released. in it, harry repeats accusations of intrusion of privacy by the british media. this is about duty and service and i feel as though being a part of this family, it is a duty to uncover this exploitation and bribery that happens within our media. they're not standing for something, they are destroying us. nhs england say they have a plan in place to deal with pressures on the health service, after figures suggest an estimated 7.2 million

patients are waiting to start routine hospital treatment, a record high. we know we need to recover and stabilise our core services like ambulance, accident and emergency and recover those care backlogs and as we recover, we need to get back to delivering the key ambitions in the long—term plan. temperatures across the uk plummet overnight, as millions struggle to heat their homes this winter. the industry regulator ofwat say several water companies in england and wales are letting down their customers and the environment. anne sacoolas, the us woman who admitted causing the death 19—year—old harry dunn by careless driving in 2019, is due to be of sentenced this afternoon. and england winger raheem stirling returns to qatar, ahead of saturday's world cup quarterfinal against france, afterflying back to england following a break—in at his home last weekend.

prince harry has said he sacrificed "everything he knows," tojoin meghan "in her world," in the first episodes of a docuseries about the duke and duchess of sussex, released by the streaming service netflix this morning. he also said that meghan had sacrificed everything she ever knew and the freedom that she had tojoin him. life in the royal family, press intrusion and racism are among the topics they discuss. prince harry and meghan no longer receive money from the royal family, and the couple earn much of their income from commercial arrangements. our royal correspondent sarah campbell reports. she sacrificed everything that she ever knew, the freedom that she had, to join me in my world.

and then pretty soon after that, i ended up sacrificing everything that i know tojoin her in her world. their story in their words. almost three hours of interviews, home videos and footage. the level of hate that has been stirred up in the last three years especially against my wife and my son. this is my mum outside with archie. i am genuinely concerned for the safety of my family. these first three episodes document the events which led up to the couple stepping back from the royal family. they detail how they met and fell in love. and what that meant for meghan�*s life. so i would say to the police, if any other women in toronto said he i have six grown men who are sleeping in their cars and following everywhere i go and i feel scared, wouldn't you say it was stalking? and they said yes but there

is really nothing we can do because of who you are dating. there are interviews with friends and meghan�*s family, including her mother. i felt unsafe a lot. i can'tjust walk my| dogs or go to work. there was a someone there waiting for me, following me to work. - i was being stalked by the paparazzi. . and glimpses of private moments with members of the royal family, including the first meeting with catherine, the now—princess of wales. i have always been a hugger, i didn't realise that that is jarring for a lot of brits. i guess i started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. much of the docuseries so far focuses on the couple's struggles with the media and the reaction from other members of the royal family. it is a rite of passage and some members of the family are like,

but my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? why should you get special treatment, why should she be protected? and i said the difference here is the race element. as expected diana, harry's mother, is referenced several times, including the now discredited panorama interview which prince william requested never be shown again, but is shown in his brother's documentary. we now know she was deceived into giving the interview, but at the same time she spoke the truth of her experience. despite the opening sequence stating members of the royal family declined to comment on the series the bbc understands no approach by the film—makers was out there made to the palace. today the king is spending another day carrying out engagements, business as usual, on his son's documentary no comment is expected from buckingham palace. our royal correspondent nicholas witchelljoins me now. you have seen it. there was a lot of

hype but of no bombshell revelations?— hype but of no bombshell revelations? ., ., ., revelations? no, none of the bombshell — revelations? no, none of the bombshell tell _ revelations? no, none of the bombshell tell all _ revelations? no, none of the| bombshell tell all revelations. revelations? no, none of the - bombshell tell all revelations. by and large, buckingham palace will be relieved, because of course on the most sensitive area, the suggestion of any racial prejudice, there is no explicit single allegation against the royal family though harry does say that there is in his words a huge level of unconscious bias is. it is no i's fault but once it has pointed out you need to make it right. clearly they feel meghan was unsupported at the type of the first reporting of the relationship. they feel the royal family and buckingham palace could and should have done more and he feels that was ignorance on the part of the palace of the racial issue. otherwise, it is really a rather touching love story between two people who either could not or would not fit into the accepted framework of the british royal family. accepted framework of the british royalfamily. time accepted framework of the british royal family. time and accepted framework of the british royalfamily. time and again had certainly lays the blame for that at

the hands of the press. he feels that they conspired against the couple and indeed he says we know the full truth, the institution knows the full truth, and the media knows the full truth, and the media knows the full truth. because they have been in on it. so a kind of suggestion of a conspiracy there, though it is all rather woolly. there is no evidence, there is no detail to back—up that central allegation. meghan clearly feels she was not welcomed as much as she might have been by the princess of wales, but that i think we consider to be a fairly small point. the palace will be relieved though there are three more episodes to come. so there may be revelations. there is also harry's book for which he has been paid a large amount of money so presumably holding something back for that? , , presumably holding something back forthat? , , , presumably holding something back forthat? , , ., .,

for that? possible, yes, a book of however many — for that? possible, yes, a book of however many thousands - for that? possible, yes, a book of however many thousands of - for that? possible, yes, a book of| however many thousands of words there are, i think we can expect there are, i think we can expect there will be a more nuanced approach to notwithstanding that there are six episodes of this documentary, i think it may be that the book is the one that worries the palace more than the prospect of three more episodes from netflix. thank you very much indeed. joining us now from surrey hannah fernando, an expert on showbusiness and celebrity news, and editor of woman magazine. hannah has ghost—written several celebrity biographies including the number one bestseller peter andre's: my story. thank you for being with us. have you had a chance to see these first episodes of the dock you series and what do you make of it? i episodes of the dock you series and what do you make of it?— what do you make of it? i certainly have watched _ what do you make of it? i certainly have watched quite _ what do you make of it? i certainly have watched quite a _ what do you make of it? i certainly have watched quite a bit _ what do you make of it? i certainly have watched quite a bit of- what do you make of it? i certainly have watched quite a bit of it - what do you make of it? i certainly have watched quite a bit of it now. j have watched quite a bit of it now. you know — have watched quite a bit of it now. you know what? i think you are absolutely _ you know what? i think you are absolutely right, i think the palace are probably more worried about the book because when you really drill down _ book because when you really drill down on _ book because when you really drill down on this, there is not really

much _ down on this, there is not really much more _ down on this, there is not really much more there than what we already knew from _ much more there than what we already knew from the oprah winfrey interview and i think that's the point — interview and i think that's the point we _ interview and i think that's the point. we are seeing them, this love story, _ point. we are seeing them, this love story, and _ point. we are seeing them, this love story, and of— point. we are seeing them, this love story, and of course everybody is picking — story, and of course everybody is packing up — story, and of course everybody is picking up on the negative stuff they said — picking up on the negative stuff they said about the palace, it seems to be _ they said about the palace, it seems to be open— they said about the palace, it seems to be open warfare on the media and the royal— to be open warfare on the media and the royal family, it will not be nice _ the royal family, it will not be nice for— the royal family, it will not be nice for anyone to read today but i think— nice for anyone to read today but i think it _ nice for anyone to read today but i think it is — nice for anyone to read today but i think it is the book they are probably— think it is the book they are probably more concerned about. i don't _ probably more concerned about. i don't think— probably more concerned about. i don't think anything i have seen is new to _ don't think anything i have seen is new to me — don't think anything i have seen is new to me— new to me. they are keeping us cruessin new to me. they are keeping us guessing whether _ new to me. they are keeping us guessing whether there - new to me. they are keeping us guessing whether there will - new to me. they are keeping us guessing whether there will be l new to me. they are keeping us i guessing whether there will be any new revelations and in a sense they have to to keep the viewers watching the series and then readers to buy the series and then readers to buy the book. it’s the series and then readers to buy the book. �* , , , , the book. it's interesting because netflix will often _ the book. it's interesting because netflix will often drop _ the book. it's interesting because netflix will often drop everything | netflix will often drop everything altogether so you can binge watch it and they— altogether so you can binge watch it and they are not doing that this time _ and they are not doing that this time you — and they are not doing that this time. you have three episodes then another— time. you have three episodes then another three episodes. what more can possibly be said in those? obviously— can possibly be said in those? obviously we have had to fill the airtime _ obviously we have had to fill the airtime so— obviously we have had to fill the airtime so there will be something.

it's airtime so there will be something. it's always— airtime so there will be something. it's always nice to see, see people portray— it's always nice to see, see people portray how— it's always nice to see, see people portray how they want to be prepared. we don't normally hear from _ prepared. we don't normally hear from the — prepared. we don't normally hear from the royal family, they don't normally— from the royal family, they don't normally talk about anything, we have _ normally talk about anything, we have royal sources saying the palace were not— have royal sources saying the palace were not asked for a right to reply, that is— were not asked for a right to reply, that is not— were not asked for a right to reply, that is not true, and i wonder whether— that is not true, and i wonder whether more modernisation of this monarchy— whether more modernisation of this monarchy we are seeing, we are beginning — monarchy we are seeing, we are beginning to see, whether there will beginning to see, whether there will be some _ beginning to see, whether there will be some response from them and i think— be some response from them and i think it _ be some response from them and i think it will — be some response from them and i think it will be interesting because this is— think it will be interesting because this is damaging, it is not nice to see and — this is damaging, it is not nice to see and as — this is damaging, it is not nice to see and as they keep saying, they know— see and as they keep saying, they know the — see and as they keep saying, they know the truth, they know their truth, _ know the truth, they know their truth, presumably there is another side to— truth, presumably there is another side to the story. do truth, presumably there is another side to the story.— side to the story. do you think this is auoin side to the story. do you think this is going to — side to the story. do you think this is going to widen _ side to the story. do you think this is going to widen the _ side to the story. do you think this is going to widen the rift _ side to the story. do you think this is going to widen the rift between l is going to widen the rift between harry and william? because as you say, it is not nice to see, particularly not nice for william and kate to see. it’s particularly not nice for william and kate to see.— and kate to see. it's really horrible- _ and kate to see. it's really horrible. and _ and kate to see. it's really horrible. and in _ and kate to see. it's really horrible. and in a - and kate to see. it's really horrible. and in a year- and kate to see. it's really i horrible. and in a year when and kate to see. it's really - horrible. and in a year when they lost their— horrible. and in a year when they lost their grandmother, everything about— lost their grandmother, everything about it _ lost their grandmother, everything about it is — lost their grandmother, everything about it is uncomfortable. as much as it is _

about it is uncomfortable. as much as it is nice — about it is uncomfortable. as much as it is nice to see a love story, it's uncomfortable viewing in places i it's uncomfortable viewing in places i think _ it's uncomfortable viewing in places i think i_ it's uncomfortable viewing in places i think. i cannot see how it can possibly— i think. i cannot see how it can possibly make anything better. there has been _ possibly make anything better. there has been lots of column inches about the demise _ has been lots of column inches about the demise of their relationship, which _ the demise of their relationship, which is — the demise of their relationship, which is so — the demise of their relationship, which is so sad, because those brothers— which is so sad, because those brothers were so close. and seeing the stuff _ brothers were so close. and seeing the stuff being said, they do not, the stuff being said, they do not, the royal— the stuff being said, they do not, the royal family do not do this and i the royal family do not do this and i would _ the royal family do not do this and i would imagine they would have asked _ i would imagine they would have asked him not to have done it and he has gone _ asked him not to have done it and he has gone ahead and done it anyway and made _ has gone ahead and done it anyway and made lots of money as well. from their point— and made lots of money as well. from their point of— and made lots of money as well. from their point of view, traitor, is that— their point of view, traitor, is that too— their point of view, traitor, is that too harsh a word? it is someone who has— that too harsh a word? it is someone who has broken right and they really wish he _ who has broken right and they really wish he hadn't. of course it has widened — wish he hadn't. of course it has widened the chasm between them that was already there. for widened the chasm between them that was already there.— was already there. for viewers who have not seen _ was already there. for viewers who have not seen it, _ was already there. for viewers who have not seen it, is _ was already there. for viewers who have not seen it, is it _ was already there. for viewers who have not seen it, is it actually - have not seen it, is it actually interesting? is it worth watching? everyone is going to watch it, they 'ust everyone is going to watch it, they just have _ everyone is going to watch it, they just have to. for me, it does not go

much _ just have to. for me, it does not go much beyond — just have to. for me, it does not go much beyond the oprah winfrey interview — much beyond the oprah winfrey interview in terms of the same stuff they are _ interview in terms of the same stuff they are saying, the same claims they are saying, the same claims they are — they are saying, the same claims they are making against the royal family— they are making against the royal family and the media. talking about his late _ family and the media. talking about his late mother diana. yes, watch it, his late mother diana. yes, watch it. but— his late mother diana. yes, watch it. but i_ his late mother diana. yes, watch it, but i think it will be very interesting to see the reaction here and also _ interesting to see the reaction here and also across the pond because my feeling _ and also across the pond because my feeling is _ and also across the pond because my feeling is it— and also across the pond because my feeling is it will be quite different.— feeling is it will be quite different. ., ~' , . feeling is it will be quite different. ., ,, , . ., different. thank you very much for bein: with different. thank you very much for being with us- _ the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has reached a new high. nhs england says it stood at 7.2 million at the end of october. separately, bbc analysis shows that nearly 40% of patients in a&e departments in england are waiting at least four hours for a bed on a ward. jim reed reports. a&e units across the uk are under serious pressure. it's not good. all laid in trolleys like this. from this hospital in york...

ambulance staff are waiting with their patients to come to the emergency department cubicles, which are currently full. to the royal victoria in belfast. to these corridors in milton keynes. i've just spoken to the nurses. they've just asked us just to wait in the queue - until they have space available. doctors say they're most concerned about the sickest patients who need to be moved on from the emergency department to another ward of the hospital, for surgery or more complex treatment. near record numbers are now stuck in a&e for hours until a free bed can be found, partly because hospitals are struggling to discharge patients into social care. if your hospital is full, and more than 19 out of 20 of our beds are full at the moment, that means that it's very challenging for emergency departments to transfer patients from the emergency department onto the wards, and that, of course, increases waiting times. you've had a few days of the treatment. you've had some rehabilitation. how's it feeling now?

well, it's feeling ok, really, - until i stand up and have to use it. those long waits in a&e are a big risk for the most vulnerable. in surrey, 90—year—old pat is recovering after falling and breaking her pelvis. with the physiotherapist this morning, did you manage the session? yes. i had to have assistance to get on the bed. - when she got to a&e, a specialist team sent her straight to a bed here in a designated unit for the most frail, so she wouldn't have to wait in pain. someone like pat, it was really key that we could identify her needs very early on, which were around managing her pain, which were around managing her bone health and some of her breathing problems. and it's because of that and the early identification and early work with her that she's now able to actually return home. well, it was a shock, i of course, but it does, shakes you up, doesn't it? i've got over it really now. it's the anticipation i of when you go home, how are you going to cope?

the frailty wards and the team next door in the acute medical centre in epsom are both designed to take the pressure off a&e. the idea is that more complex cases are sent here quickly for treatment before either being referred to specialists or ideally sent home to free up the bed. we don't want anyone to stay in hospital any longer than they need to, but we know that with an elderly population, to make sure that happens, it needs a whole team effort. we can'tjust continue working the way we've historically worked. the government has said there is more money to improve a&e performance in england, but with colder weather on its way and rates of flu are also rising, hospitals are bracing for a busy winter. jim reed, bbc news. let's cross to bristol royal infirmary as our health correspondent matthew hill is at the hospital.

good afternoon. we know nationally there are about 100,000 people waiting more than four hours in a&e before the decision to admit them. here in the south—west, it is about 38% of patients. about 17% of patients have to wait for more than 12 hours, very often waiting on trolleys and i only witness that myself early this week when i was filming in taunton. there was a patient waiting there, he had been there for ten hours with stomach pains, he was not able to sit or stand, and while he was very grateful for the treatment, it was a sign of the time that the colleges are being used more and more, such are being used more and more, such are the delays. it is a system problem caused by primarily having patience for it to be discharged for instance in october we had around 7000 bed days here at the bristol

royal infirmary bit were lost through so—called bed blockers and thatis through so—called bed blockers and that is because we have this intense problem with a lack of social care places. here in somerset in particular there have been a number of initiatives we have had recently that may begin to address this problem. for instance the south—west ambulance was the first service in the country to deploy gps with paramedics to give a second opinion if you like when they were not quite sure whether the patient should be admitted to hospital. they had their own mobile kit of blood testing machinery, the start of stuff you normally find in hospitals and invariably they could reassure the patient they don't need to be admitted to hospital. in somerset you can probably hear... a police car, in somerset also we have a system with about 300 virtual words in people's homes, they will be

built up over the next year. that will be supported by nurses giving iv drips in their own homes, that's a significant number that has come about from the government's better care fund, we are paying national insurance and gradually that is beginning to trickle through schemes like that for things happening outside of hospitals to prevent admissions. thank you.- outside of hospitals to prevent admissions. thank you. thank you very much — admissions. thank you. thank you very much indeed. _ freezing conditions across the uk have triggered cold weather payments, made by the government to those on the lowest incomes in some areas. the payments are issued when the weather is cold enough to potentially affect people's health. it comes as millions of people struggle to heat their homes. last night, our reporter tim muffett joined outreach workers in london, who are hoping to offer some warmth to people sleeping on the streets. it is absolutely freezing. a bitterly cold wednesday night in south london.

rosie and the outreach team from holy trinity church in clapham are hoping to spread warmth when there's not much around. we have a lot of people living locally who really struggle with being able to heat their homes and keep themselves warm. hello, sir. how are you doing? and some don't have homes to heat. rosie and her team are part of the warm welcome campaign. how are you? i'm all right, fine. 3,000 venues across the uk that are opening their doors as temperatures plunge. it's warm, and you get some porridge. terry was homeless for six years. i mean, you would use paperto keep warm. i you would wrap yourself up and put it under your clothes _ to keep warm at night. he now has accommodation, but often visits the church in clapham to warm up. coming to these centres helps. getting a breakfast. getting company. getting advice. people reaching out to you helps.

severe cold weather is expected across the uk. snow and ice warnings are in place in scotland, wales, northern ireland and the east coast of england. it's come at a time when we're suffering with things to do with the cost of living and people are trying to save money, so they don't want to put their central heating on. and then on top of that, we are expecting this cold snap to last longer than just a day. we're looking at maybe four or five days. heat is a big attraction right now. the union corner community centre in plymouth is now open for three days a week, offering company away from the cold. people here are generous and they are very hospitable. they're very kind and that's what's needed in this world, i think. in london, the severe emergency weather protocol has been activated, meaning more shelters will be made available to the homeless. it's thought the number of people either sleeping rough for the first time, or living on the streets, rose by around a quarter in london betweenjune and september,

compared to the same period last year. rosie and her team will continue to offer a place in the warmth to as many as possible. they're gearing up for a busy winter. the public inquiry into the post office scandal is holding a special hearing on the issue of compensation, amid concerns that not enough progress is being made. thousands of subpostmasters lost everything after being wrongly accused of stealing. but despite being cleared, one victim has told the bbc that he has not seen a penny. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. they've come a long way for today's hearing. some of the sub—postmasters and their families whose lives have been ruined by the post office scandal. lee castleton ended up bankrupt and still waiting for full and fair compensation. 18 years for me. i don't think there's been a lot of progress.

we just want clarity, we just want to know how to finish this. everybody�*s coming to a point now where we know we've won, we know we were right, right from the beginning, we know that there was computer problems throughout, they were all hidden from us, and now we just want to bring it to an end and get on with our lives. i highlighted in 2002, saying there was a fault in the horizon system. baljit sethi hasn't received a penny of compensation. he and his wife anja were forced to close their post office business in essex after a huge shortfall in the accounts. they ended up in a form of bankruptcy, too. it's like a sword hanging around your neck, you know. so much time has passed. to tell you the truth, ijust want to forget about it, because it has not only ruined a life, but it's 20 years when we should have been enjoying with our grandchildren. it's not only a question of compensation, no amount of money can undo what we have undergone.

the post office says it's going as fast as it can with all the claims. in the compensation scheme that baljit sethi is in, 94% of victims have been made offers and three quarters have accepted and been paid. but there are a whole raft of concerns about how this process is going, including the desperate financial situation some claimants are now in. and for many, it's a slow, hard road to get what they deserve. sharon brown from sunderland was forced to resign from her branch and lost everything. people's in dire need| of the compensation, they've lost that much. they're all sitting - pretty in their places, do you know what i mean? sitting behind desks and pushing papers about and not _ getting no further forward. the battle for compensation still has a long way to run. emma simpson, bbc news, central london. the water industry regulator ofwat has castigated the uk's water companies, saying they are are "falling short in too many areas".

in its annual asessment of the industry's performance, it singled out the six worst performing firms, northumbrian water, southern water, south west water, thames water, welsh water and yorkshire water, which it said were "lagging behind expectations." our climate and science reporter esme stallard joins me from cardiff. are pretty damning indictment of water companies?— are pretty damning indictment of water companies? exactly, it looks across the water _ water companies? exactly, it looks across the water companies - water companies? exactly, it looks across the water companies in - across the water companies in england and wales and ofwat has said they are deeply concerned about the state of affairs in some companies. the serious pollution incidents, some of which audiences will have seen, warnings from pollution in the sea and river across the uk, earlier this year. they also drew attention to the fact that there has been a lack of investment by these companies, despite commitments in

their business plans. also companies, despite commitments in their business plans.— their business plans. also ofwat sate oor their business plans. also ofwat sate poor performance - their business plans. also ofwat sate poor performance has - their business plans. also ofwat i sate poor performance has become the norm. this is been going on for years and years. is there any indication this will improve in anyway? indication this will improve in an a ? , indication this will improve in an a? , ., , anyway? exactly, some of these incidents they _ anyway? exactly, some of these incidents they highlight - anyway? exactly, some of these incidents they highlight have i anyway? exactly, some of these l incidents they highlight have been going on for years. they have stepped up fines for companies and noted in november last month, they put a fine of r record £132 million against these companies, some of which will go back to the treasury to pay for environmental performance and some £17 million will go directly to customers to improve their service. there has been criticism there is not much change from ofwat despite the new signs they have put in place will be have to see over the next year or so whether those improvements will be made. ., ~ whether those improvements will be made. . ,, whether those improvements will be made. ., ~' , whether those improvements will be made. . ,, , . the american basketball star brittney griner, who's been held in prison in russia for 10 months on drug smuggling charges, has been freed

as part of a prisoner exchange between the us government and the kremlin. griner was arrested at moscow airport in february after cannabis oil was found in her luggage. she was sentenced to nine years in prison, and last month she was transferred to a penal colony. a russian arms dealer convicted of supplying weapons to terrorists has been released by washington in return. our correspondent barbara plett—usher joins me from washington. it isa it is a pretty extraordinary trade. extraordinary kind of swap. it is extraordinary kind of swap. it is extraordinary _ extraordinary kind of swap. it is extraordinary on _ extraordinary kind of swap. it 3 extraordinary on several levels. one is that the us russian relations are very tense right now, because of the russia's war in ukraine so that was the backdrop against which these negotiations took place. also, brittney griner is an unusual hostage in the sense that she is a celebrity, so what is behind—the—scenes usually hostage diplomacy for the us became out

there, there was a lot of pressure on the administration to bring her home. and then as you said, the person for whom she was swapped, one of the most notorious arms dealers, for decades, he was very much i wanted man until the americans arrested him in a sting operation in thailand in 2008 and put him away for 25 years in prison. very high—level release and the us was hoping to get two detained americans in exchange, brittney griner but also another prisoner, a former marine who had been convicted on espionage charges that the american say were manufactured. in the end, they were only able to get brittney griner so although we had the announcement from the white house alongside her wife which was a real achievement for the administration, mr biden was very quick to pivot to the second prisoner saying they

would continue to try to get him out. is would continue to try to get him out. , , , , ., , ., would continue to try to get him out. , ,, , ,, out. is this being seen as a success for the out. is this being seen as a success forthe biden _ out. is this being seen as a success for the biden administration - out. is this being seen as a success for the biden administration or i out. is this being seen as a success for the biden administration or halfj for the biden administration or half a success? i for the biden administration or half a success? , , ,.,, for the biden administration or half a success? , , , ., ., a success? i suppose maybe half a success in — a success? i suppose maybe half a success in the _ a success? i suppose maybe half a success in the sense _ a success? i suppose maybe half a success in the sense that - a success? i suppose maybe half a success in the sense that they i a success? i suppose maybe half a| success in the sense that they were trying to get both prisoners freed. brittney griner is somebody who as i said has a very high—profile here and in her imprisonment and efforts on her behalf helped to galvanise a movement of families of detained americans of which there are quite a few around the world. so there was a lot of buzz around brittney griner and the factory has been brought home especially at a time of such low relations with russia is an achievement for the us and it allows the administration to say this is a priority and they negotiated hard. the fact they only got one of the two americans they had been trying to bring home makes it less of an achievement. they said they hope the

initiation had been in close contact, gave a heads up a while ago this might be happening and assured mr whelan's family that they will do what they could to work with them and help them deal with this disappointment.— and help them deal with this disappointment. writers are 'ust re ”ortin disappointment. writers are 'ust reporting anti disappointment. writers are 'ust reporting that brittney i disappointment. writers are just reporting that brittney griner i disappointment. writers are just | reporting that brittney griner has now arrived in —— reuters reporting she has arrived in abu dhabi. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. snow showers likely to continue to peppe" snow showers likely to continue to pepper coastal areas leading to icy stretches. temperatures down to minus double digits. these are the afternoon temperatures. 2—5. it

will feel caught in the north. wintry showers peppering the coastal parts, we could see a cluster of showers affecting the south—east of england for a time through the overnight period. again a widespread sharp frost expected for many areas. friday very cold and frosty. watch out for ice. plenty of sunshine. going to be another cold afternoon. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... the first parts of the much—hyped harry and meghan anne sacoolas, the us woman who admitted causing the death of 19—year—old harry dunn by careless driving in 2019, is due to be sentenced this afternoon. the first parts of the much—hyped harry and meghan series are released — in it, harry repeats accusations of intrusion of privacy by the british media.

nhs england say they do have a plan in place to deal with pressures on the health service after figures suggest an estimated 7.2 million patients are waiting to start routine hospital treatment — a record high. we know we need to recover and stabilise our core services like ambulance, accident and emergency and recover those elective planned care backlogs, then as we recover, we need to get back to delivering the key ambitions in the long—term plan. thousands of people on the lowest incomes will receive a cold weather payment as temperatures plunge below zero. the industry regulator ofwat has criticised several water companies in england and wales for letting down their customers and the environment. and england winger raheem stirling returns to qatar ahead of saturday's world cup quarterfinal against france. he flew back to england following a break—in at his home last weekend.

sport now and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's... hi, gavin. hi there, ben. nice to see you. yes, not long to go now until england's world cup quarterfinal against france. it's the eve of the quarterfinals at the world cup in qatar and not long to go now until england's encounter with the holders, france. we can head to doha now, and join olly foster, with all the latest for us. good to see. we have just heard kalvin phillips talking about what a massive lift it will be for the squad to have raheem sterling back after what has been a very difficult week for him. after what has been a very difficult week for him-— after what has been a very difficult week for him. yes, terrific news. he is due back — week for him. yes, terrific news. he is due back tomorrow _ week for him. yes, terrific news. he is due back tomorrow on _ week for him. yes, terrific news. he is due back tomorrow on the - week for him. yes, terrific news. he is due back tomorrow on the eve i week for him. yes, terrific news. he is due back tomorrow on the eve of| is due back tomorrow on the eve of that quarterfinal against the french. england are last up in the last eight on saturday night. remember, he left the camp on sunday with reports of an armed robbery. that came from his representatives. he flew back to be with his family. a subsequent statement from surrey police said that there were no

threats of violence involved but the family had returned to find several items ofjewellery family had returned to find several items of jewellery and family had returned to find several items ofjewellery and watches missing. so raheem sterling flew back. he is coming back tomorrow but he's missed a whole week of training now. it's actually his 28th birthday today and you can't possibly see him going straight into that starting xi to face the french on saturday night. he was an unused substitute in the final group match. he missed that last 16 win against senegal. england looked very good in that. but i a second phil foden with the two main men alongside harry kane —— bukayo saka and phil foden. you just think that sterling is falling a little bit of the pecking order now and if anything if there are changes in that front marcus rashford, who has done over neither will come into the side but it will give the squad lift, as kalvin phillips was saying in the last hour or so. undoubtedly so. we've seen some managers depart after their sidess have exited — luis enrique,

the latest, from spain. yes, this was inevitable. spain started so well and flashed costa rica 7—0 but then just went against japan and were knocked out by morocco. went out on penalties. he has had a difficult four years in charge, luis enrique. a fantastic playerfor charge, luis enrique. a fantastic player for spain charge, luis enrique. a fantastic playerfor spain and charge, luis enrique. a fantastic player for spain and barcelona charge, luis enrique. a fantastic playerfor spain and barcelona under a manager with barcelona as well but never quite got spain going at the world cup here so his contract was due anyway so, yes, he has left that role early and the u21 manager is going to be his replacement. he knows many of the younger spain players in that squad. absolutely, a chan . e in players in that squad. absolutely, a change in the _ players in that squad. absolutely, a change in the cards _ players in that squad. absolutely, a change in the cards them. - and just to finish, news of a death of a migrant worker, at one of the world cup sites in qatar — what's been the reaction to that? in qatar — what's been well, in qatar — what's been of course, deaths of migran workers well, of course, deaths of migrant workers overshadowed the build—up to this tournament. so many claims of

thousands to have lost their lives doing the infrastructure for the tournament. there have always been disputed by the organising committee but a man in his 40s fell from a forklift truck and suffered a fatal head trauma. working at a resort where saudi arabia had been based, down in the south of qatar. fifa issued a statement last night sending their condolences to the man's family and saying how saddened they were and that they will be waiting for the full details of that but the chief executive of the supreme committee, the organising committee was at an event injoe hart today and he was asked about this latest migrant death —— he was at an event in macon today. —— doha. we are in the middle of a world cup and we have a successful world cup and this is something that you want to talk about right now?

death is a natural part of life, whether it is at work or in your sleep. a worker died, our condolences go to his family. however, it's strange that this is something you want to focus on as your first question. yes, that was al—khater saying he was very, very disappointed with the line of questioning after people were asking about the migrant deaths and saying he is very disappointed with journalists here still pursuing a false narrative. lee journalists here still pursuing a false narrative.— journalists here still pursuing a false narrative. .,, ., false narrative. lee foster in doha, thank ou false narrative. lee foster in doha, thank you very _ false narrative. lee foster in doha, thank you very much _ false narrative. lee foster in doha, thank you very much indeed - false narrative. lee foster in doha, thank you very much indeed for i false narrative. lee foster in doha, | thank you very much indeed for that again. that is all the two now and will keep you up—to—date with any world cup —related news that the day —— that is all the support you now. that's all the sport for now. as we heard, four in ten a&e patients in england who need a hospital bed face

a delay of four hours or more waiting for one to be found. so, what's being done to improve waiting times in hospitals? in somerset, health bosses are investing more than £6 million in new government money to try to free up hospital beds and prevent patients being admitted — and that includes treating up to 300 patients in their own homes rather than in hospital. our health correspondent matthew hill reports hello. guy is in a&e and in considerable pain. he's the only patient on a trolley, but he's been here for over ten hours. everyone's been really kind. they triaged m really quickly and they have allowed me to lay down because sitting is more painful. the latest figures for october showed more than half of all patients here had to wait more than four hours before being sent elsewhere. today is very busy, with about 70 patients in the department. it would be unusual if you went back a few years, but it's becoming increasingly normal for this winter.

we've got someone in the corridor today, unfortunately, waiting to be admitted to a bed. this happens intermittently. we've had it in previous winters when we've had many patients waiting in the corridor. there are 569 beds here at musgrove park and of those, today 95 have got patients in who are fit to be discharged but they cannot find places in the community for them. little wonder at the moment there are six ambulances queueing outside and many of them with patients in who need admission. with an ageing population, somerset demand for hospitals will only go up. in somerset, there's a 17—year gap between life expectancy, which is 84, and healthy life expectancy so what we need to do going forward is to provide more support for people in their communities, in their homes, so they can live healthier lives for longer. so the push is on to find ways of helping to keep people out of hospital. southwest ambulance was the first to bring in mobile gps.

doctor matthew booker gives ambulance crews on the ground a second opinion if they're in doubt as to whether to admit a patient. here we've got some of our blood testing equipment. this is effectively a portable laboratory. where we can run patients' blood samples and often the types of tests that would be done in the emergency department, we can do on the vehicle. we carry a portable ultrasound unit. we can perhaps go further with the diagnosis than some of our paramedic crews can, and we carry a range of extended treatment options and medications to try and keep people at home if possible. hi, david. how are you doing? another idea is also helping — making sure only the worst cases have to go. right, the first thing we've got to do is take some bloods. this is a virtual ward. it should help patients like david stay at his home. at the moment, we've got 16 patients on the virtual ward in somerset, people receiving treatment at home who would otherwise be in hospital and our hope in the next year is to get up to around 300 people

looked after at home rather than being in hospital. and to make sure people who are well enough to be discharged from hospital but not quite well enough to go home alone, money is being invested in care homes like this one near taunton. in the space ofjust six weeks, an old barn has been converted into an reablement centre providing nursing staff and therapy so patients can live and they will be home within six weeks. ——so patients can leave and they'll be home within six weeks. where we have a home like this that you are in today, we're making sure that we have therapy that works alongside us and there are social workers that's part of this because if you have the therapeutic environment, that reablement environment, people will go home. all these ideas are costing around £65 million to fund in somerset, £6.5 million to fund in somerset. they're being paid for by the increase in our national insurance contributions, but health bosses hope people will accept the rises so beds are there when they need them

and stays for others are shorter. matthew hill, bbc news. the biggest fraud trial in german history has begun, in a bomb—proof courtroom inside a prison in munich. the boss of the disgraced payment company wirecard, markus braun is accused of involvement in the embezzlement of billions of dollars. wirecard collapsed spectacularly two years ago. joining me now is our damian mcguiness from berlin. the story of this fun reads like a political thriller, bell, the story of this fun reads like a politicalthriller, bell, but because it started doctor —— the story of this company, wirecard com like a political thriller. it was started in the is the big hope to prove to the world google could invent its own tech answer to facebook or blue blood complete with the big american global tech giants and do more thanjust make has but over the years it really took off

and within ten years it was pushing other banks out of the dax 30 ended some of the point it was worth more than deutsche bank but it quickly became clear, according to investigators and manyjournalists, investigators and many journalists, that investigators and manyjournalists, that something fishy was going on because the books just didn't add up, particularly in the asian side of the business what investigators have found and journalists were talking about for quite a while and the run—up to 2020 will this blew up was that essentially the company was making up figures, was cooking the books in order to make the company look richer than it really was. it all started going in 2019 on the back of the financial times reports but what then happened was the german regulator tried to clamp down on the reporting rather than investigate properly the company itself. then in 2020 it quickly became clear there was something wrong with this company. the list of charges are just too long to read out here. you are talking about long

allegations of money—laundering, market manipulation, fraud. itjust goes on and on and on. this is going to be a huge trial that goes to 2024 damaging not only the reputation of germany's burgeoning fintech sector but also the reputation of the regulator here and the political establishment, bringing back its national champion i have seen this meteoric rise and catastrophic fall for wirecard in this trial as well be a really going to see the details of what went on behind this very, very dubious company. my point very much indeed. damian mcguinness in berlin. first anti—government protester has been arrested in iran. an activist

called it a show trial without any due process. the bbc�*s persian special correspondent has been giving us more details. ba 23—year—old man picked up some weeks ago on a street in west tehran. a p pa re ntly apparently he and others were trying to block his street as part of the protest. to block his street as part of the rotest. ., ., ., , ., ,, protest. the whole trial has taken about seven _ protest. the whole trial has taken about seven weeks. _ protest. the whole trial has taken about seven weeks. very - protest. the whole trial has taken about seven weeks. very swift. i protest. the whole trial has taken | about seven weeks. very swift. no lawyers were present. and we know what is worrying is there may be more in the pipeline. we know already there are another 12 people who her own death row waiting for the high court, the appeal court and then there are another 30 people who have been charged with crimes which carry a death sentence with them. all in all very sad and shocking

situation even by uranian standards. i think the intervening government is waiting to see what reaction there is going to be inside iran as well as outside in the international community and i think they will decide to go ahead with more executions in the days to come. the headlines on bbc news... anne sacoolas, the us woman who admitted causing the death of 19—year—old harry dunn by careless driving in 2019, is due to be sentenced this afternoon. the first parts of the much—hyped harry and meghan series are released — in it, harry repeats accusations of intrusion of privacy by the british media. nhs england say they do have a plan in place to deal with pressures on the health service after figures suggest an estimated 7.2 million patients are waiting to start routine hospital treatment — a record high.

the last surviving member of the world war two dambusters raid — which attacked german dams — has died at the age of 101. squadron leader georgejohnson, known asjohnny, was a bomb—aimer in the squadron which destroyed key dams. his family say he died peacefully in his sleep. our correspondentjon kay looks back at his life. dambusters film theme plays. they were the raf�*s 617 squadron, but they will be forever known as the dambusters. and among them, 22—year—old george leonard johnson. his mates just called him johnny. machine guns fire. their daring mission was famously recreated for the big screen. in 1943, they dropped their bouncing bombs to attack german dams... nice work, skipper.

..and hit the country's industrial heartland. it was a thrilling experience, no other way to describe it. our briefing was to fly across the dam, to drop the bomb as near as possible to the centre of the dam. so, it was practice, practice, practice. born in lincolnshire in 1921, johnny lost his mum when he was only three years old. he joined the raf as a teenager and for years rarely talked about the dambusters. but when he was in his 90s, johnnyjohnson returned to germany with a bbc film crew. he met local people who remembered the raids. hundreds of civilians were killed during operation chastise, as well as 53 ofjohnny's comrades from bomber command. i'm lucky, yes, to still be alive. i'm lucky that i was with the right crew, in the right place, at the right time.

and i feel privileged and honoured to have taken part in that raid. i think it was a great raid, i think it was a tribute to all those who took part, particularly those who gave their lives in pursuing their target. newsreel: the men who raided l the ruhr dams were among those to receive their decorations from her majesty. - they were honoured at the time with the distinguished flying medal, but it wasn't until 2017, after a high—profile public campaign, thatjohnnyjohnson was awarded the mbe by the queen. she said, nice to see the dambusters still around. and i thanked herfor the honour, and how pleased and honoured ifelt in meeting herfor the second time. as the last of the dambusters, johnny became well—known, but he insisted he was only doing hisjob in 1943, and always said his public appearances were his way of honouring all the men involved in one of the most decisive moments of the second world war.

johnnyjohnson who's died peacefully at the age of 101. a major air and sea search is under way offjersey after a reported collision off the island's west coast this morning. several lifeboats have been joined by local fishing vessels and search aircraft from the channel islands and france, as the freight company condor confirmed that one of its ships was involved in a collision with an 18 metre fishing boat. an investigation into the death of four paddleboarders in west wales last year has found that the accident was both "tragic" and "avoidable". the new safety report has criticised the tour leaders for failing to plan adequately after the group became trapped in fast—flowing water at a weir in haverfordwest. our wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. the river cleddau in full flow after torrential rain in autumn last year.

it was in these flood conditions that a group of nine paddle—boarders entered the water. four would lose their lives. morgan rogers, nicola wheatley and paul o'dwyer all died at the scene. they became trapped in the tumbling white water beneath the weir. rescuers were able to reach andrea powell but she died a few days later in hospital. the investigation found that the commercial trip they were on hadn't been planned properly. they didn't have the right kit and the leaders weren't fully trained. they hadn't assessed the risks of the weir. it looks like a smooth, albeit fast—moving river, and you can't see what's on the other side of the weir until you're almost on it. and then when you arrive, you've got this churning turmoil of water. this current, the towback, is very much as the name implies, it tows you back towards the weir — you can't escape. the investigators also found there weren't enough signs at the river to warn of the dangers.

they say the huge growth in paddle—boarding's popularity hasn't been matched by regulation or an understanding of the risks involved. after the deaths on the cleddau, a woman was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and released. prosecutors are still considering whether charges will be brought. hywel griffith, bbc news. the us citizen anne sacoolas is appearing at the old bailey by video link from washington dc to be sentenced over the death of teenager harry dunn. sacoolas, 45, pleaded guilty in october to causing the 19—year—old motorcyclist�*s death by careless driving. the sentence will be handed down shortly. joining us live now is robin brant, who's outside the old bailey. robin, this has been a case that's

really dominated the headlines for a long time and, in a sense, this is the climax of the case i suppose. just remind us of the background to it. ~ .., , , just remind us of the background to it. welcome the proceedings are still auoin it. welcome the proceedings are still going on _ it. welcome the proceedings are still going on inside _ it. welcome the proceedings are still going on inside court - it. welcome the proceedings are l still going on inside court number one, the infamous court number one inside the old bailey. thejustice is in charge. anne sacoolas, he was 45, is appearing via video link in the country we have the judge, you have the family of harry dunn, you have the family of harry dunn, you have other legal officers and then on to video screens you have anne sacoolas who was dressed in grey and dark shoulder length hair sitting next to her lawyer listening to everything and it has been a very, very difficult listen for the past hour. we've heard the prosecution barrier go through some of the facts of the case and that briefly on the 27th of august 2019 and mrs anne sacoolas drove out of an raf base, raf croughton with the two children

in the back of her volvo, was immediately on the wrong side of the vote, the american side of the vote as she later referred to it and some 2326 seconds later at a rise in the road and on a bend she was a sea head on collision with harry dunn who was on his kawasaki coming the other way. who was on his kawasaki coming the otherway. he who was on his kawasaki coming the other way. he sustained awful and in the end fatal injuries. when he's hit the front of her car, the windscreen as the court been hearing the back of the vehicle and then ended up on the road. she told police officers at a time i've had a collision with a motorbike. it's all my fault. now, in the last ten minutes it's been the most difficult and most moving past the proceedings because we've heard from charlie childs, harry's mum who over a ten minute periods didn't the witness box and head out a personal statement. she was very, very emotional. it was hugely challenging for her during that date men she

told the court including mrs —— anne sacoolas i promised harry we would be getting justice and i am glad this is getting done. this is about justice being done and being seen to be done. anne sacoolas was appearing via video link in there. she left the uk 19 days after the accident. she hasn't appeared since. at the time she had diplomatic immunity which has been waived since but the us government has refused to extradite her back here so if you weeks' time we will hear from the judge will begin sentencing remarks and as i left a few weeks ago prosecution said they believe the minimum they are asking for is a custodial sentence so in theory mrs achille should go to jail for at least 15 months. now, that is not going to happen because she is not going to happen because she is not going to happen because she is not going to return to the uk but nonetheless she is facing justice of sorts but before the us proceedings

began the family of harry dunn through their solicitor said they believe her refusal to come here today to face the final pass of this process is cowardly.— today to face the final pass of this process is cowardly. thank you, we will be back — process is cowardly. thank you, we will be back when _ process is cowardly. thank you, we will be back when sentencing i process is cowardly. thank you, we | will be back when sentencing begins and showing that the viewers. thank you very much indeed. robin want there at the old bailey. ——robin brant there at the old bailey. scientists have identified the most ancient dna yet — buried in ice age sediment— in northern greenland. the dna is two million years old and it's twice the age of the previous record. the study also found that the area — which today is covered in snow and ice — was once a rich forest. tom brada reports. a bitterly cold and inhospitable

climate. today, large parts of north greenland of a harsh polar desert but a new discovery suggest it is not always been so bleak. scientists have been able to turn back the clock, 2 million years to be precise, and have found evidence of the writing life. 2 precise, and have found evidence of the writing life.— the writing life. 2 million years a . o the writing life. 2 million years a . 0 we the writing life. 2 million years ago we had — the writing life. 2 million years ago we had this _ the writing life. 2 million years ago we had this forest - the writing life. 2 million years i ago we had this forest environment with mastodons, rain stays and... running round the landscape together with a lot of different plants we see —— reindeer. with a lot of different plants we see -- reindeer.— with a lot of different plants we see -- reindeer. this research was carried out — see -- reindeer. this research was carried out in _ see -- reindeer. this research was carried out in the _ see -- reindeer. this research was carried out in the area _ see -- reindeer. this research was carried out in the area on - see -- reindeer. this research was carried out in the area on the i see -- reindeer. this research was| carried out in the area on the map. often scientists rely on animal bodies for a glimpse into the mask —— past but 2 million year old animalfossils of —— past but 2 million year old animal fossils of extremely there, where there is instead the team turned to something called environmental dna, genetic material shed from plants and animals like skin shells or toppings which build up skin shells or toppings which build up in the surroundings. brute skin shells or toppings which build up in the surroundings.— up in the surroundings. we are breakin: up in the surroundings. we are breaking the — up in the surroundings. we are breaking the barrier _ up in the surroundings. we are breaking the barrier of - up in the surroundings. we are breaking the barrier of what i up in the surroundings. we are | breaking the barrier of what we up in the surroundings. we are i breaking the barrier of what we can reach in terms of genetic studies so it was long thought that 1 reach in terms of genetic studies so it was long thought that1 million years was the boundary, the barrier that, you know, of dna survival but now we are twice as old.—

that, you know, of dna survival but now we are twice as old. mutant soul offered some — now we are twice as old. mutant soul offered some unexpected _ now we are twice as old. mutant soul offered some unexpected results i now we are twice as old. mutant soul offered some unexpected results -- | offered some unexpected results —— the ancient soil offered up some unexpected results. 2 million years ago, green and was much warmer than it is now. in fact, the average annual temperatures were about 11-19 hottie annual temperatures were about 11—19 hottie and the presence of mastodon dna was a particular surprise since no—one had found the elephant —like creatures in going on before. at particular time for planets the dna could offer clues as to how to adjust to contemporary dangers of climate change. bbc news. let's look ahead in time now and get the weather forecast for you mouth and stabbed danaos. hello there. snow likely to pepper coastal areas, icy stretches as we had to the night, quite severe in places,

temperatures down to minus double digits. we can see blue colours enveloping the whole of uk through and friday as well. these are the afternoon temperatures, ranging 2—5 in the north and colder than that. this evening we get overnight and ice becomes a risk again around coastal areas where we see wintry showers peppering the coastal parts we can see clusters of wintry showers affecting south—east of england through a time as well to the overnight period again and widespread sharp frosts expected for many as temperatures down to ten, 8—10 —11 in one or two spots. —— they are down to possibly —10 celsius. we'll continue to see very cold blustery showers.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the first parts of the much hyped harry and meghan series are released. in it, harry repeats accusations of intrusion of privacy anne sacoolas, the us woman who admitted causing the death of 19—year—old harry dunn by careless driving in 2019, is due to be sentenced this afternoon. the first parts of the much hyped harry and meghan series are released. in it, harry repeats accusations of intrusion of privacy by the british media. nhs england say they do have a plan in place to deal with pressures on the health service after figures suggest an estimated seven point two million patients are waiting to start routine hospital treatment, a record high. we know we need to recover and stabilise our core services like ambulance, accident and emergency and recover those care backlogs and as we recover, we need to get back to delivering the key ambitions in the long—term plan.

thousands of people on the lowest incomes will receive a cold weather payment as temperatures plunge below zero. the industry regulator ofwat has criticised several water companies in england and wales for letting down their customers and the environment. and england winger raheem stirling returns to qatar ahead of saturday's world cup quarterfinal against france. he flew back to england following a break—in at his home last weekend. prince harry has said he sacrificed everything he knows tojoin meghan in her world, in the first episodes of a docu—series about the duke and duchess of sussex,

released by the streaming service netflix this morning. he also said that meghan had sacrificed everything she ever knew and the freedom that she had tojoin him. life in the royal family, press intrusion and racism are among the topics they discuss. prince harry and meghan no longer receive money from the royal family, and the couple earn much of their income from commercial arrangements. our royal correspondent sarah campbell reports. she sacrificed everything that she ever knew, the freedom that she had, tojoin me in my world. and then pretty soon after that, i ended up sacrificing everything that i know tojoin her in her world. their story in their words. almost three hours of interviews, home videos and footage.

the level of hate that has been stirred up in the last three years especially against my wife and my son. this is my mum outside with archie. i am genuinely concerned for the safety of my family. these first three episodes document the events which led up to the couple stepping back from the royal family. they detail how they met and fell in love. and what that meant for meghan's life. so i would say to the police, "if any other women 'i have six grown men who are sleeping in their cars and following everywhere i go and i feel scared,�* wouldn't you say it was stalking?" and they said, "yes, but there is really nothing we can do because of who you are dating." there are interviews with friends and meghan's family, including her mother. i felt unsafe a lot. i can'tjust walk my| dogs or go to work. there was a someone there waiting for me, following me to work. i

i was being stalked by the paparazzi. . and glimpses of private moments with members of the royal family, including the first meeting with catherine, the now—princess of wales. iwas a hugger, i have always been a hugger, i didn't realise that that is really jarring for a lot of brits. i guess i started to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside. much of the docuseries so far focuses on the couple's struggles with the media and the reaction from other members of the royal family. it is almost like a rite of passage and some members of the family are like, "right, but my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? why should you get special treatment, why should she be protected?" and i said, "the difference here is the race element." as expected diana, harry's mother, is referenced several times, including the now discredited panorama interview which prince william requested never be shown again, but is shown in his

brother's documentary. i think we now know she was deceived into giving the interview, but at the same time, she spoke the truth of her experience. despite the opening sequence stating members of the royal family declined to comment on the series, the bbc understands no approach by the film—makers was ever made to the palace. today, the king is spending another day carrying out engagements. business as usual. on his son's documentary, no comment is expected from buckingham palace. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell gave us this update on reaction to the series. i think, by and large, buckingham palace will be relieved, because of course, on the most sensitive area, the suggestion of any racial prejudice, there is no explicit single allegation against the royal family, though harry does say

that there is in his words, "a huge level of unconscious bias." "it is no—one's fault but once it has pointed out you need to make it right." clearly they feel meghan was unsupported at the time of the first reporting of the relationship. they feel the royal family and buckingham palace could and should have done more and he feels that was ignorance on the part of the palace of the racial issue. otherwise, it is really a rather touching love story between two people who either could not or would not fit into the accepted framework of the british royal family. time and again certainly lays the blame for that at the hands of the press. he feels that they conspired against the couple and indeed he says, "we know the full truth, the institution knows the full truth, and the media knows the full truth. because they have been in on it." so a kind of suggestion of a conspiracy there,

though it is all rather woolly. there is no evidence, there is no detail to back—up that central allegation. meghan clearly feels she was not welcomed as much as she might have been by the princess of wales, but that i think we consider to be a fairly small point. more episodes to come. so there may be revelations. there is also harry's book, for which he has been paid a large amount of money, so presumably holding something back for that? possibly, yeah, a book of however many thousands of words there are, i think we can expect there will be a more nuanced approach to it, notwithstanding that there are six episodes of this documentary, i think it may be that the book is the one that worries the palace more than the prospect of three more episodes from netflix. joining me now is marcus ryder, head of external consultancies

at lenny henry centre for media diversity. thank you very much indeed for being with us. i know you have seen some of it. what do you make of it so far? it of it. what do you make of it so far? , . , , ., ., far? it is incredibly well made and i think far? it is incredibly well made and i think what _ far? it is incredibly well made and | think what it — far? it is incredibly well made and i think what it does _ far? it is incredibly well made and i think what it does just _ far? it is incredibly well made and i think what it does just like i far? it is incredibly well made and i think what it does just like the i i think what it doesjust like the oprah— i think what it doesjust like the oprah winfrey interview, as it shines — oprah winfrey interview, as it shines a — oprah winfrey interview, as it shines a light on a really important issue _ shines a light on a really important issue i_ shines a light on a really important issue i am — shines a light on a really important issue. lam not shines a light on a really important issue. i am not a shines a light on a really important issue. lam not a royal correspondent, not an expert in the royals, _ correspondent, not an expert in the royals, i_ correspondent, not an expert in the royals, i am — correspondent, not an expert in the royals, i am an expert in media diversity— royals, i am an expert in media diversity and it exposes issues of racism _ diversity and it exposes issues of racism and — diversity and it exposes issues of racism and race when it comes to media _ racism and race when it comes to media and — racism and race when it comes to media and that's what really interests me.— media and that's what really interests me. , ., ., interests me. they talk in it, the duke of sussex _ interests me. they talk in it, the duke of sussex says _ interests me. they talk in it, the duke of sussex says there i interests me. they talk in it, the duke of sussex says there is - interests me. they talk in it, the duke of sussex says there is a i interests me. they talk in it, the i duke of sussex says there is a huge level of unconscious bias in the royal family when he is discussing theissue royal family when he is discussing the issue of racism. is that how you seeit? the issue of racism. is that how you see it? i the issue of racism. is that how you see it? ., �* ~ ., ., ., the issue of racism. is that how you see it? ., �* 4' ., ., . , see it? i don't know, not an expert on the royal— see it? i don't know, not an expert on the royal family. _ see it? i don't know, not an expert on the royal family. i _ see it? i don't know, not an expert on the royal family. i can - see it? i don't know, not an expert on the royal family. i can say - see it? i don't know, not an expert on the royal family. i can say that| on the royal family. i can say that there _ on the royal family. i can say that

there an _ on the royal family. i can say that there an issue of race and racism in there an issue of race and racism in the media _ there an issue of race and racism in the media which covers the story and this was_ the media which covers the story and this was more or less admitted in march _ this was more or less admitted in march 21— this was more or less admitted in march 21 after the oprah winfrey interview — march 21 after the oprah winfrey interview and the society of editors which _ interview and the society of editors which represents all the large media organisations in the uk came out and said they— organisations in the uk came out and said they were not institutionally racist _ said they were not institutionally racist or— said they were not institutionally racist or bigoted and the executive director— racist or bigoted and the executive director had to resign on the strength— director had to resign on the strength of that statement. in september 21, they admitted there were issues and the society of editors— were issues and the society of editors felt they had to do something to address those issues. not arr— something to address those issues. not an expert on royalty but in terms — not an expert on royalty but in terms of— not an expert on royalty but in terms of coverage and media coverage of royalty. _ terms of coverage and media coverage of royalty, there is clearly an issue — of royalty, there is clearly an issue. ., ~' of royalty, there is clearly an issue. ., ,, ., , of royalty, there is clearly an issue. ., ~' ., �* , issue. you think the way the british media treated _ issue. you think the way the british media treated meghan _ issue. you think the way the british media treated meghan in _ issue. you think the way the british media treated meghan in particular| media treated meghan in particular was because of a sort of inherent racism in the british media. i was because of a sort of inherent racism in the british media. i think there were — racism in the british media. i think there were problems _ racism in the british media. i think there were problems of— there were problems of representation in the media. if for

example _ representation in the media. if for example you look at the reuters institute — example you look at the reuters institute showed of the major newspapers, only 0.2% ofjournalists are black— newspapers, only 0.2% ofjournalists are black working for major news outlets _ are black working for major news outlets and if you look at the royal correspondents, they are predominantly overwhelmingly white as far— predominantly overwhelmingly white as far as _ predominantly overwhelmingly white as far as i'm aware, only two royal correspondents, one for the sunday times. _ correspondents, one for the sunday times. one — correspondents, one for the sunday times, one for the associated press, people _ times, one for the associated press, people of— times, one for the associated press, people of colour. what you are doing as you _ people of colour. what you are doing as you are _ people of colour. what you are doing as you are seeing the story frame through— as you are seeing the story frame through a — as you are seeing the story frame through a white prism and that will come _ through a white prism and that will come with— through a white prism and that will come with all of the unconscious bias. _ come with all of the unconscious bias. that — come with all of the unconscious bias, that would come if you saw a story— bias, that would come if you saw a story about — bias, that would come if you saw a story about women framed through a male prison. people come with their own perspectives. male prison. people come with their own perspectives-— own perspectives. what about the arc ument own perspectives. what about the argument that _ own perspectives. what about the argument that actually _ own perspectives. what about the argument that actually when - own perspectives. what about the i argument that actually when meghan was first on the scene, the media treated her quite favourably and reported on her quite favourably? i reported on her quite favourably? i think that's a really interesting point _

think that's a really interesting point and — think that's a really interesting point and it goes to what some people — point and it goes to what some people working in the area i work in differentiate between diversity and inclusion — differentiate between diversity and inclusion. i think there's a real desire — inclusion. i think there's a real desire for— inclusion. i think there's a real desire for more diversity, seeing more _ desire for more diversity, seeing more people of colour in all institutions. more women, more lgbto. — institutions. more women, more lgbtq, more disabled people, but when— lgbtq, more disabled people, but when they start to assert their identity— when they start to assert their identity and values which might be different— identity and values which might be different from the predominant group. — different from the predominant group, that is when you have problems— group, that is when you have problems and that's what we call inclusion — problems and that's what we call inclusion. what we often see is institutions, i don't know about the institutions, idon't know about the royal— institutions, i don't know about the royal family in particular, but you see this _ royal family in particular, but you see this throughout british institutions and other institutions. a desire _ institutions and other institutions. a desire for more diversity, but there _ a desire for more diversity, but there really are issues when it comes— there really are issues when it comes to _ there really are issues when it comes to inclusion.— there really are issues when it comes to inclusion. good to talk to ou, comes to inclusion. good to talk to you. thank — comes to inclusion. good to talk to you. thank you _ comes to inclusion. good to talk to you. thank you very _ comes to inclusion. good to talk to you, thank you very much - comes to inclusion. good to talk to you, thank you very much indeed. | you, thank you very much indeed. thank you. the number of people in england waiting to start routine hospital treatment has reached a new high. nhs england says it stood at 7.2 million at the end of october.

separately, bbc analysis shows that nearly 40% of patients in a&e departments in england are waiting at least four hours for a bed on a ward. jim reed reports. a&e units across the uk are under serious pressure. it's not good. all laid in trolleys like this. from this hospital in york... ambulance staff are waiting with their patients to come to the emergency department cubicles, which are currently full. to the royal victoria in belfast. to these corridors in milton keynes. i've just spoken to the nurses. they've just asked us just to wait in the queue - until they have space available. doctors say they're most concerned about the sickest patients who need to be moved on from the emergency department to another ward of the hospital, for surgery or more complex treatment. near record numbers are now stuck in a&e for hours until a free bed can be found, partly because hospitals are struggling to discharge

patients into social care. if your hospital is full, and more than 19 out of 20 of our beds are full at the moment, that means that it's very challenging for emergency departments to transfer patients from the emergency department onto the wards, and that, of course, increases waiting times. you've had a few days of the treatment. you've had some rehabilitation. how's it feeling now? well, it's feeling ok, really, - until i stand up and have to use it. those long waits in a&e are a big risk for the most vulnerable. in surrey, 90—year—old pat is recovering after falling and breaking her pelvis. with the physiotherapist this morning, did you manage the session? yes. i had to have assistance to get on the bed. - when she got to a&e, a specialist team sent her straight to a bed here in a designated unit for the most frail, so she wouldn't have to wait in pain. someone like pat, it was really key that we could identify her needs very early on, which were around

managing her pain, which were around managing her bone health and some of her breathing problems. and it's because of that and the early identification and early work with her that she's now able to actually return home. well, it was a shock, i of course, but it does, shakes you up, doesn't it? i've got over it really now. it's the anticipation i of when you go home, how are you going to cope? the frailty wards and the team next door in the acute medical centre in epsom are both designed to take the pressure off a&e. the idea is that more complex cases are sent here quickly for treatment before either being referred to specialists or ideally sent home to free up the bed. we don't want anyone to stay in hospital any longer than they need to, but we know that with an elderly population, to make sure that happens, it needs a whole team effort. we can'tjust continue working the way we've historically worked.

the government has said there is more money to improve a&e performance in england, but with colder weather on its way and rates of flu are also rising, hospitals are bracing for a busy winter. jim reed, bbc news. our health correspondent matthew hill is at bristol royal infirmary — he told us how many people are waiting more than four hours for a decision in a and e in the south west of england. here in the south—west, it is about 38% of patients. about 17% of patients have to wait for more than 12 hours, very often waiting on trolleys and i only witnessed that myself earlier this week when i was filming in taunton. there was one patient waiting there, he had been there for ten hours with stomach pains, he was not able to sit or stand, and while he was very grateful for the treatment, it was a sign of the time

that the colleges are being used more and more, such are the delays. it is a system problem, it's caused by primarily having patients being fit for discharge for instance in october we had around 7000 bed days here at the bristol royal infirmary bit were lost through so—called bed blockers and that is because we have this intense problem with a lack of social care places. here in somerset in particular there have been a number of initiatives we have had recently that may begin to address this problem. for instance the south—west ambulance was the first service in the country to deploy gps with paramedics to give a second opinion if you like, when they were not quite sure whether the patient should be admitted to hospital. they had their own mobile kit of blood testing machinery, the sort of stuff you normally find in hospitals and invariably they can reassure the patient they don't need to be

admitted to hospital. siren blares in somerset you can probably hear... not an ambulance, a police car, in somerset also we have a system with about 300 virtual wards in people's homes, they will be built up over the next year. that means people supported by nurses giving iv drips in their own homes, that's a significant number that has come about from the government's better care fund, we are paying national insurance and gradually that is beginning to trickle through schemes like that for things happening outside of hospital to prevent admissions. some news coming into us. 15 children under the age of 15 have now died from invasive strep a. that is new data we have just had come

in. 13 children under 15 have died in. 13 children under 15 have died in england since september. two other deaths of children have been recorded in belfast and wales. that takes the total across the united kingdom to 15. group a strep bacteria can cause many different infections ranging from minor illnesses to deadly diseases. the total now in terms of deaths from strep a has reached 15 in the uk. freezing conditions across the uk have triggered cold weather payments made by the government to those on the lowest incomes in some areas. the payments are issued when the weather is cold enough to potentially affect people's health. it comes as millions of people struggle to heat their homes. last night our reporter tim muffett joined outreach workers in london who are hoping to offer some warmth to people sleeping on the streets. it is absolutely freezing. a bitterly cold wednesday night in south london. rosie and the outreach team

from holy trinity church in clapham are hoping to spread warmth when there's not much around. we have a lot of people living locally who really struggle with being able to heat their homes and keep themselves warm. hello, sir. how are you doing? and some don't have homes to heat. rosie and her team are part of the warm welcome campaign. how are you? i'm all right, fine. 3,000 venues across the uk that are opening their doors as temperatures plunge. it's warm, and you get some porridge. terry was homeless for six years. i mean, you would use paperto keep warm. i you would wrap yourself up and put it under your clothes _ to keep warm at night. he now has accommodation, but often visits the church in clapham to warm up. coming to these centres helps. getting a breakfast. getting company. getting advice. people reaching out to you helps.

severe cold weather is expected across the uk. snow and ice warnings are in place in scotland, wales, northern ireland and the east coast of england. it's come at a time when we're suffering with things to do with the cost of living and people are trying to save money, so they don't want to put their central heating on. and then on top of that, we are expecting this cold snap to last longer than just a day. we're looking at maybe four or five days. heat is a big attraction right now. the union corner community centre in plymouth is now open for three days a week, offering company away from the cold. people here are generous and they are very hospitable. they're very kind and that's what's needed in this world, i think. in london, the severe emergency weather protocol has been activated, meaning more shelters will be made available to the homeless. it's thought the number of people either sleeping rough for the first time, or living on the streets, rose by around a quarter in london betweenjune and september, compared to the same period last year.

rosie and her team will continue to offer a place in the warmth to as many as possible. they're gearing up for a busy winter. tim muffett, bbc news. the water industry regulator ofwat has castigated the uk's water companies, saying they are "falling short in too many areas". in its annual asessment of the industry's performance, it singled out the six worst performing firms, northumbrian water, southern water, south west water, thames water, welsh water and yorkshire water, which it said were "lagging behind expectations". our climate and science reporter esme stallard has the latest from cardiff. it looks at companies in england and wales and ofwat has said

they are deeply concerned about the state of affairs in some companies. the serious pollution incidents, some of which audiences will have seen, those warnings from pollution in seas and river across the uk, earlier this year. they also drew attention to the fact that there has been a lack of investment by these companies, despite commitments in their business plans. also ofwat say this has come a norm, poor performance has become the norm. this is been going on for years and years. is there any indication this will improve in anyway? exactly, some of these incidents they highlight have been going on for years. they have tried to step up fines for these companies and noted in november last month, they put a fine a record £132 million against these companies, some of which will go back to the treasury to pay for environmental performance and £17 million will go directly to customers to improve their service.

there has been criticism there is not much change from ofwat despite the new fines they have put in place, we will have to see over the next year or so whether those improvements will be made. iran has announced the first execution of an anti—government protest. he was hanged this morning. an activist called it a show trial without any due process. a; without any due process. 23—year—old man picked up ten weeks ago on a street in west tehran, apparently he and others were blocking a street as part of a protest, the whole trial has taken about seven weeks. very swift. no

lawyers were present. we know what is worrying is that there may be more in the pipeline. we know already there are another 12 people who are on death row waiting for the high court appeal court and there are another 30 people who have been charged with crimes which carry death sentences with them. all in all, a very sad and shocking situation, even by iranians standards. i think the irani and government is probing to see what the reaction is going to be inside iran as well as outside in the international community and they will decide whether to go ahead with more executions in the days to come. the us citizen anne sacoolas is appearing at the old bailey by video link from washington dc to be sentenced over the death

of teenager harry dunn. let's go live. we are expecting to see the sentencing remarks quite shortly? in see the sentencing remarks quite shortl ? . . see the sentencing remarks quite shortl ? ., , , ., shortly? in what is becoming more normal, shortly? in what is becoming more normal. you _ shortly? in what is becoming more normal, you will— shortly? in what is becoming more normal, you will imminently - shortly? in what is becoming more normal, you will imminently see . shortly? in what is becoming more i normal, you will imminently see the justice who is the judge in court number one inside the old bailey, famous court number one, began her sentencing remarks. let me paint a picture of what the court room looks like. certainly when i left 20 minutes ago. thejudges like. certainly when i left 20 minutes ago. the judges sitting in middle on a raised bench as always. harry dunn's family are sitting to the right, his mother, father and trend brother are there. barristers representing anna sacoolas are there. the doc is empty. the person driving the car that hit harry dunn, the person that killed harry dunn, is not in the court. anne sacoolas left this country 19 days after the

crash. the crash that claimed the life harry dunn and she has not returned since. she is appearing via video link. you see her on split screen left and right, wearing a greyjacket, dark grey top, her hair is dark and shoulder—length, sitting there alongside her lawyer listening to the proceedings for the last hour or so. to the proceedings for the last hour orso. emotionless, iwould to the proceedings for the last hour or so. emotionless, i would say, except on one occasion whilst listening to extremely moving statements read by harry's mother. at 1.i statements read by harry's mother. at 1.1 looked up and saw anne sacoolas reach up to her eye with a tissue and dab her eyes. other than that we have not heard from her and we are not likely to hear from that we have not heard from her and we are not likely to hearfrom her. she is attending these proceedings in the sense that she is partaking in the sense that she is partaking in them but she is not in the court, she is not in this country, she has not been in this country since 19 days after the crash that killed

harry. she is in bridging you're in —— she is in virginia. thejudge has said she thinks she should be at proceedings. thejudge said she thinks she should be at proceedings. the judge told said she thinks she should be at proceedings. thejudge told her attending would be the best way to demonstrate her full remorse. attending would be the best way to demonstrate herfull remorse. she has not done that and there is no sign at all she ever intends to come back to the uk. that of course is the most troubling part of this whole part of the process for the family, not only have they lost their son, family, not only have they lost theirson, harry, ina family, not only have they lost theirson, harry, in a horrific head—on collision, a crash anne sacoolas accepted immediate responsibility for, telling officers she had been stupid and it was her fault, but the family believe that justice not only should be done, it needs to be seen to be done and a key part of that is for anne sacoolas to be here and face her

punishment. we are about to hear what that punishment will be but the reality is, and it could range from a community service order all the way up to three years in jail, the prosecution has said they believe the starting point should be 15 months injail the starting point should be 15 months in jail but whatever the sentence is, whatever the sentence we are about to hear detailed by the judge, there is no sign at all that anne sacoolas, the woman who did this, is ever going to return to this, is ever going to return to this country and carry out that sentence. mil this country and carry out that sentence-— this country and carry out that sentence. . ., , ., sentence. all through this long saua, sentence. all through this long saga. harry — sentence. all through this long saga, harry dunn's _ sentence. all through this long saga, harry dunn's family - sentence. all through this long saga, harry dunn's family have wanted justice but they have wanted anne sacoolas to face justice in this country and say the fact that going to be here in person for the sentencing today is incredibly disappointing? it is sentencing today is incredibly disappointing?— sentencing today is incredibly disappointing? sentencing today is incredibly disa ”ointin? , ., ., ., disappointing? it is and i have no doubt we will _ disappointing? it is and i have no doubt we will hear _ disappointing? it is and i have no doubt we will hear from - disappointing? it is and i have no doubt we will hear from them - doubt we will hear from them afterwards but the truth is the court and judge cannot do anything about it. in previous feelings, the judge has said even if she were to try to compel anne sacoolas to come back to the uk there is no way she

could enforce that. you are right, this is all about essentially justice for harry, the 19 year who loved his bike, love when he was on that head—on collision and anne sacoolas was in her volvo suv back in august 2019. we had a statement read by harry's mother charlotte. she left the bench, moved to the witness box, and from the very beginning was brushing her hair aside, hand on her chest and breaking down throughout the ten minutes. it was very difficult to sit and listen to. god knows what it was like to say those words from a mother who lost her child in such a horrific way. during that statement she told the court including us the media, thejudge and answer she told the court including us the media, the judge and answer clueless on that video link, she said she said this to harry. i promise harry we would get him justice and a mother never breaks a promise to her

son. that is what this is about. a devastated family. she detailed how her and herfamily have been dealing with anxiety, depression, postal matic stress disorder, she said life is not the same without her son but what they do want more than anything else presented with the reality they have, as justice for their son. else presented with the reality they have, asjustice for their son. the truth is no matter what the sentences, even if it were at the top end of the sentencing guidelines which the three years in jail, anne sacoolas is not coming back and has no intention of ever coming back to this country. we will of course be back at the old bailey for the sentencing remarks from the judge that we will see invasion from the old bailey as soon as that begins and we gather it will be any minute and will see that she

—— we will see