this is bbc news, broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm samantha simmonds and these are the latest headlines. china warns of "error and danger" after the the us, uk and australia sign a pact on nuclear—powered submarines. translation: the cooperation on the nuclear submarine _ translation: the cooperation on the nuclear submarine under _ translation: the cooperation on the nuclear submarine under the _ translation: the cooperation on the nuclear submarine under the military l nuclear submarine under the military technology is cold war behaviour, it will harm regional peace and stability. police forces in england and wales are not acting on complaints of violence against women by officers or staff — a new report shows 90% of cases were dropped and less than i% were sacked. we cannot be complacent and we

really need very robust investigations to take forward and dismiss anyone we think it's working in our organisation who should not be. shares fall on asian markets as investors become nervous over the sudden collapse of two us banks. japan's nikkei index and hong kong's hang seng have both fallen by about 2%. job vacancies in the uk fall for the eighth time in a row, according to latest figures published ahead of wednesday's budget when the government is expected to encourage people back into work. china will resume issuing visas to foreign tourists from next wednesday for the first time since the start of the covid pandemic three years ago. a state of emergency has been declared in malawi, after tropical storm freddy struck the country for a second time, killing nearly 100 people.

hello and welcome to bbc news. the leaders of the us, britain and australia, meeting in california, have announced details of their plan to create a new fleet of nuclear—powered submarines, aimed at countering china's influence in the indo—pacific region. under the aukus pact, australia is to get its first nuclear—powered subs — at least three — from the us. beijing has strongly criticised the deal. our political editor, chris mason, has more from san diego. translation: china has repeatedly stressed that the aukus pat - and the three countries advancing cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting edge military technology is typical cold war mentality, it will only spur an arms race and undermine the international nonproliferation regime and harm regional peace and stability. peace—loving countries have expressed serious concern and opposition. the latest joint statement from the three countries shows that

in pursuit of geopolitical selfish interests the three countries can disregard the international community's concerns, and they are travelling further down a dangerous and wrong path. that was china's foreign ministry spokesperson. he was speaking at the daily press conference. our correspondents stephen mcdonell was at that press conference and gave his analysis. i've just come from that press conference and they were tough words from china's foreign military spokesperson. he said it was not only china opposed to this pact, that it was other countries, these three governments had ignored the concerns of the international community, they were going to harm international stability, fuel an international arms race, he accused these three countries by supplying weapons grade material to australia, a non—nuclear states, being in breach of international

anti—proliferation agreements. what's more, he said the three governments were leaning on the secretariat of the international atomic energy agency to try to get some sort of bogus clearance for this pact to proceed, that is how the chinese government would see it, and finally he finished by calling on the three governments not to go ahead, he said this should stop right now, these three governments should honour their international obligations and promote regional stability by stopping this altogether. away from the aukus pact, there has been an announcement today about visa restrictions were lifted to foreign travellers, allowed back into china for the first time in three years? indeed, this is the last plank, i suppose, in china's zero—covid approach, it represents an opening up of the country. from tomorrow tourist visas will be issued again,

and to give you an idea of what a big deal this could be, before the pandemic there were like 65 million international travellers every year coming through china, that is a lot of people. it has really harmed the tourist industry here not having those travellers so now china is opening the door to tourism again. part of the problem is there are not enough flights and tickets are quite expensive from some places so it might take a while for the flow of international tourists to come in again, but after three and a half years of not seeing foreigners around the streets in beijing, it has been quite strange, it will be something new to have foreign tourists travelling around china again. stephen mcdonell. let's get more and how that deal will affect the region. i spoke earlier to rana mitter, professor of the history and politics of modern china

at oxford university. in some ways, while it is robust and quite confrontational language, it is fairly low—key in terms of reaction. i think the chinese will be aware that the submarines at the heart of the aukus agreement will not come on stream until probably the early 20405 so it is not an immediate threat from their point of view so they are condemning the direction of travel rather than any immediate effect from the policy that forward. one analysis has called this a time bomb for peace and stability in the region, will it have a huge knock—on effect? i think crises in the region are more likely to erupt sooner than that anyway, in the next five to six years one of the big questions is will be will china seek to unify the island of taiwan, which is autonomous and self—governing, but china lays claim to it and has done since 1949 and the communist revolution. the aukus submarine pact will not affect that, that will be decided in terms of the naval presence of china, the us and japan that exists

in the region so the aukus pact is more of a long—term issue. those nuclear powered submarines will not have any nuclear weapons on board, but nevertheless china says this will provoke an arms race. is there any truth in that? i don't think this move will provoke that, it is nuclear powered engines, not nuclear weapons, although the technology can be adapted, technically speaking. in the current circumstances i think the issues people look at much more are naval capacity, the us has the pacific fleet. the chinese navy has been growing in leaps and bounds and has become the favoured child of the armed forces, much more than the land army, and the chinese air force has made its presence felt above the skies of taiwan ever since last summer when us speaker nancy pelosi visited the island. so plenty of activity and turmoil already

fundamentally solved even though things have been quieter in the last few weeks. what is your analysis of the fact that these world leaders have been very clear this deal is all about countering the threat of china in the indo—pacific? i think while that is true another message is not being stated, this is a way of locking the us into defence of the region for decades. everyone including the chinese and western allies are wondering who will be us president in 2024, if it were notjoe biden but not committed to international alliances, more of an isolationist, they might be able to pull back the western presence, american presence, in the pacific. by locking in the aukus deal and similar it makes it much harder for an american president with different views to change their mind. in the uk the conduct of police officers has been under scrutiny

after a series of scandals. fresh data in england and wales has revealed less than i% of officers or police staff accused of violence towards women and girls during a six—month period have so far been fired. our home affairs correspondent, june kelly, reports. wayne couzens, the police officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered sarah everard. david carrick, like couzens, a firearms officer with the metropolitan force, and a serial rapist. their crimes have shone a spotlight on the issue of officers suspected and accused of violence against women and girls, and how they're dealt with. this woman's former partner is a firearms officer with the west yorkshire force. alice, and this is not her real name to protect her identity, says he subjected her to sexual violence and emotional abuse. i think it's scary. the fact that he's had little control of himself and then being able to go to work and get a loaded gun out and be actually walking the streets. because clearly you think he should not be a serving police officer?

i think he's a very dangerous individual. alice says she made a series of complaints about her ex partner to west yorkshire police, but she says no action was taken. after the bbc asked the force for a response, he was suspended. the force says it's referred its conduct in alice's case to the police watchdog, and it stressed its commitment to tackling violence against women and girls. when it comes to complaints, today's report by police chiefs shows that over a six—month period, more than 1,500 officers and staff were accused of violence against women and girls. just 13 people were or would have been sacked, and where cases were finalised, 91% of complaints resulted in no further action. we're looking at everything from perhaps use of force when a woman is arrested through to rape, domestic abuse, something much more serious. so in a six—month period, it's often easier to wrap

up an investigation, and understand the outcome of it. where something is very serious, it takes a lot longer to investigate. police chiefs say forces have to do more to tackle all violence against women and girls. it's basically ptsd. .. in barnsley, deborahjones has set up a support group, resolute, to help women who've suffered domestic abuse. all of the women at this meeting have to be anonymous for their own safety. they share their experiences of dealing with the police. i found out in october who the officer was in charge of my investigation. i didn't get any more contact from her untiljanuary. she didn't respond to any of my messages. he assaulted me, tried to strangle me, and i was covered in bruises on my neck and my chest. a member of the public called the police, but the police didn't even take me back home. how did you think you were treated as in terms of things _ being explained to you, what was happening? l

the police officer that i had at first admitted to me that she wasn't domestic violence trained. she was firearms. the second one, she was a lot better, but the first one, it was just horrendous. their local force, south yorkshire, says it's regularly listening to victims and delivering specialised training to growing numbers of offices and staff. june kelly, bbc news. earlier i spoke to the former victims commissioner vera baird who told me what it would take to restore women's confidence in the police. restore women's confidence in the olice. , ,. restore women's confidence in the olice. , ., , police. disclosing the figure shows what it is like — police. disclosing the figure shows what it is like now, _ police. disclosing the figure shows what it is like now, all— police. disclosing the figure shows what it is like now, all credit- police. disclosing the figure shows what it is like now, all credit to - what it is like now, all credit to maggie blythe that she has got the police into a position to voluntarily disclose these, but hidden amongst these people will be those who should never have been in the force in the first place, so we will have to look very seriously at

an independent eye over the vetting processes which have failed again and again and again, as we increasingly know, because of the men who have come to court about appalling behaviour. so a number of people should not be inviting, any time somebody has promoted we have had lots of issues around firearms officers who appear to have some level of seniority and high status which adds to their own sense of invincibility. every time there is a promotion there needs to be a new review as to the suitability of each individual. i cannot emphasise enough how inappropriate it is for a rather closed in profession to be investigating its own people against complaints, eitherfrom within investigating its own people against complaints, either from within all the public. let's be bored about the figures, there are coming up to 1500 complaints in these six months, a

snapshot, as maggie blythe said —— p bald. about 80% of domestic and sexual abuse at large amongst the public never complained about. it is even harder to complain against a police officer who you say has been guilty of sexual or violent offending against you, so we are probably looking at the very top of the mountain here. there is a real cause of concern. i cannot myself see that unless those three processors i had set out are changed, impartial, externalviews changed, impartial, external views over vetting, changed, impartial, externalviews overvetting, promotion changed, impartial, externalviews over vetting, promotion and to investigate complaints of this nature are absolutely imperative that if women are to have their confidence covered at all. triers; confidence covered at all. vera baird. new employement figures showjob vacancies in the uk fell for the eighth time in a row. the official figures come a day ahead of wednesday's budget

when the uk's chancellor is expected to set out plans to encourage people back into work. the number ofjobs on offer between december and february fell by 51,000 compared with the three months before. the unemployment rate remained at 3.7% — low by intera ntional standards. the chief executivejon economist at kpmg gave us her reaction to the figures. fin kpmg gave us her reaction to the fiaures. ., ., 1, ~ ., figures. on the one hand the bank of encland figures. on the one hand the bank of england might _ figures. on the one hand the bank of england might be — figures. on the one hand the bank of england might be a _ figures. on the one hand the bank of england might be a bit _ figures. on the one hand the bank of england might be a bit more - figures. on the one hand the bank of england might be a bit more worried| england might be a bit more worried because it is quite likely that wage pressures which remain relatively high, but then on the other hand it means the economy generally remains relatively strong, the chancellor can expect more revenue to come his way and he potentially had to spend less on supporting those who are unemployed generally, so he may have

a little bit more room as a result. explain what it means that the number ofjob vacancies on offer fell by 51,000 in this three—month period, but we also have the number ofjob vacancies remaining pretty high at 1.1 million. ofjob vacancies remaining pretty high at1.1 million. $5 of job vacancies remaining pretty high at 1.1 million.— of job vacancies remaining pretty high at 1.1 million. as we emerge from the high at1.1 million. as we emerge from the pandemic— high at 1.1 million. as we emerge from the pandemic colour - high at 1.1 million. as we emerge from the pandemic colour the - high at 1.1 million. as we emerge - from the pandemic colour the number ofjob vacancies rose very quickly, people wanted to hire more people, companies needed more staff, but in terms of the people in work or looking for work, they have remained relatively low, the people who left the labour market during the pandemic did not come back, or the majority did not, meaning we had this very tight labour market, vacancies remain relatively high because we did not have those people to fill them and they remain relatively high compared to our

historic average, still high, although they are moderating now. tomorrow's budget in the uk, the chancellor and others are calling this the back to work budget. from what we know about what he might say, what is your analysis of his efforts to get people who are able to work back into the workforce? we ma to work back into the workforce? - may hear are few potential incentives, one of the issues is people deciding to retire earlier, one way to entice them back potentially is to increase the amount that they can save for their pension that is favourable in terms of the tax treatment so they can see an increase in the pot they can accumulate as a lifetime saving, that may encourage more people to come back and continue work for

longer. it could be another way to try to encourage people to come back to work and that is something to do with the benefit system, not to withdraw the benefit all at once or try to make it easier for people withdraw the benefit all at once or try to make it easierfor people in the lower earning categories to go back to the labour market and still feel financially more secure. yael selfin. a bbc team has embedded itself with a group of aid volunteers who deliver food several times a month to hundreds of residents in the kherson oblast region of ukraine. these volunteers have continued to work within the artillery range of russian troops. it often comes close to costing them their lives. working at speed within range of russian firepower, these volunteers rush to load vital aid. translation:

please stop, take it easy, it is heavy. please stop, take it easy, it is hea . ., ., , , heavy. even out on the roads, these volunteers — heavy. even out on the roads, these volunteers have _ heavy. even out on the roads, these volunteers have not _ heavy. even out on the roads, these volunteers have not escaped - heavy. even out on the roads, these volunteers have not escaped the - volunteers have not escaped the danger. translation: it is volunteers have not escaped the danger. translation: it is more difficult than — danger. translation: it is more difficult than intense, _ danger. translation: it is more difficult than intense, but - danger. translation: it is more difficult than intense, but in - danger. translation: it is more difficult than intense, but in the l difficult than intense, but in the area we are headed to, people are under very difficult occupation and went through so much misery. fits under very difficult occupation and went through so much misery. as soon as the convoy — went through so much misery. as soon as the convoy leaves _ went through so much misery. as soon as the convoy leaves the _ went through so much misery. as soon as the convoy leaves the town - went through so much misery. as soon as the convoy leaves the town it - as the convoy leaves the town it becomes visible to the russian army. shelling can happen any time. it is not long before they receive reports of artillery fire close by. this is the first aid convoy to arrive here in three weeks. for many here, they say it is their only source of food. —— this aid is. as the volunteers off—load their vans, one starts recording.

just as his chelsea described the operation, this happens. we take cover as a shell explodes. —— just as he started to describe the operation. translation: do as he started to describe the operation. translation: do you see, we are often _ operation. translation: do you see, we are often in — operation. translation: do you see, we are often in a — operation. translation: do you see, we are often in a situation _ operation. translation: do you see, we are often in a situation like - we are often in a situation like this. volunteers say they face this threat every day.— threat every day. minutes later a second shell _ threat every day. minutes later a second shell explodes, - threat every day. minutes later a second shell explodes, this - threat every day. minutes later a second shell explodes, this time | second shell explodes, this time much closer. that way! i'll get in this one here! we were being targeted from a russian position. to make the convoy shorter and less visible, we have to

split up. translation: irate shorter and less visible, we have to split up. translation:— shorter and less visible, we have to split up. translation: we are in the middle of nowhere, _ split up. translation: we are in the middle of nowhere, there _ split up. translation: we are in the middle of nowhere, there was - split up. translation: we are in the middle of nowhere, there was an - middle of nowhere, there was an artillery attack just now, middle of nowhere, there was an artillery attackjust now, it middle of nowhere, there was an artillery attack just now, it was middle of nowhere, there was an artillery attackjust now, it was so strong. i've never heard anything like it. ~ . ., ., ., , like it. ukrainian authorities say no one was _ like it. ukrainian authorities say no one was killed _ like it. ukrainian authorities say no one was killed in _ like it. ukrainian authorities say no one was killed in the - like it. ukrainian authorities say no one was killed in the area, i no one was killed in the area, despite several villagers coming under attack. this area has no military infrastructure. it is unclear what the target was, but despite the threat of more shelling, the volunteers continue to the next village, delivering vital aid to those in need. a state of emergency�*s been declared in malawi after tropical storm freddy struck the country for a second time, killing more than 100 people. rescue workers describe being completely overwhelmed by the rainfall and mudslides. the cyclone's one of the longest running in history and has caused havoc across parts of southern africa. earlier i spoke to shingai nyoka — our correspondent in harare —

she began by telling me about the extent of the damage caused by the cyclone. we understand that tropical storm freddy is weakening as it moves across the southern part of malawi, people are still talking about heavy rainfall, we have seen images of raging rivers and a destroyed infrastructure so the rescue and search efforts are still under way but there is still a long way to understand the true scope of this disaster. what do we know about what help is available locally and maybe from abroad? that is why the president has declared a state of emergency so they can channel resources are urgently to the areas that need them, and he has asked for local and international assistance. what the authorities are doing right now as they have set up shelters to

help those (inaudible), about 11,000 people have had to flee their homes. they are also providing food, but there are also the search and rescue efforts under way, we have seen images of ordinary people clawing through landslides in search of victims so there is also assistance required in terms of search and rescue efforts. this storm struck for a second time, absolutely devastating. how prepared were people, do we know? it had been swirling around for a few weeks, it struck madagascar twice and then moved back to mozambique and headed north—west towards malawi. the government had given ample warning, had told people to move from low—lying to higher lying areas but they said some of those warnings were not heeded and people left it too late to flee their homes.

shingai nyoka in harare. a uk team of structural and civil engineers are travelling to the earthquake zone in turkey, to assess why so many buildings collapsed. turkish engineers already on the ground, have provided them with proof of inferior building materials being used in construction. the team will produce a report in a matter of weeks, designed to improve seismic safety when the area is rebuilt. our science editor rebecca morelle has more. the devastation of last month's earthquake. more than 50,000 people lost their lives as buildings collapsed in the biggest earthquake to hit the region in almost a century. now, an investigation is beginning to try and find some answers amongst the wreckage. so how many buildings did you actually end up serving as a team? professor emily so is leading the earthquake engineering field investigation team or e—fit. structural engineers in the uk and turkey are working together to assess the damage. she has been getting the latest update from someone who's been there

too. they have been taking some samples of concrete and has found large pebbles embedded in it. do you think they got these aggregates locally because it's got lots of rivers around? yeah, all of them taken from the river. the river pebbles shouldn't be there. they weaken the structure. she's also found some steel bars are smooth instead of ridged, which means the concrete doesn't cling to them again, reducing the strength. this kind of in—depth analysis can only be done by having experts on the ground. it's important to get the full picture rather thanjust looking at a snapshot of a single asset or a single building. because the successes of the ones that are still intact and perform perfectly well is as important as its neighbours that have collapsed, and actually having that distribution, having that overview is really key to what we do and what can learn from this earthquake. but the collapse of some buildings isn't because of poor construction. in some areas, the ground movement was so great it exceeded

what the buildings had been designed to withstand. and in others, a process called liquefaction turns the ground into a heavy fluid, like very wet sand. a telltale sign of this is a building that's toppled over. at the engineering company arup, computer simulations show why some buildings fail. we're starting to see more movement in the columns. this part of the building is moving more. the connection with the central core has failed. that part has collapsed. this part has collapsed. the building has performed really, really badly. but buildings can be designed to withstand seismic events. we can see the performance of the columns, and the beams, and the floors, and the ceilings, and everything remains intact. so that's a clean bill of health. the basic design principle is to allow some form of damage within the building. that damage absorbs the energy of the earthquake, means the building will move a little bit more. things will be cracked, but generally the building

will survive, and that's the sort of baseline. how do you construct buildings in an earthquake zone? the vertical columns should be stronger than the horizontal beams. it means the upper storeys are supported, so you don't get what's called pancaking — where one layer collapses on top of another. dampers can be added too. they act like shock absorbers as the building sways to and fro, and rubber bearings can be fitted underneath the building. they absorb the energy of the earthquake so it doesn't transfer to the structure above. but all of this costs money. and retrofitting an older building can be even more expensive. with so much destruction, there's a huge task ahead. it will take years of careful planning to rebuild. the hope is that the findings of this investigation will ensure this kind of devastation is not seen again. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

ican speak i can speak to someone from the university college london who has gone as part of the building investigation team. the gone as part of the building investigation team. the amount of devastation _ investigation team. the amount of devastation we _ investigation team. the amount of devastation we have _ investigation team. the amount of devastation we have seen - investigation team. the amount of devastation we have seen here - investigation team. the amount of. devastation we have seen here shows a poor and noncompliant building stock, largely, but it is a mixed bag because there are quite a lot of old buildings built at the time in line with old versions of the code, but also buildings that have survived the earthquake so we are currently collecting data to be able to sample all of these issues and examples so they can go back home and analyse data to get a key findings. we came fully equipped with various data collection tools and were systematically distributing across different parts of town and collecting data and images, we have

just arrived to the city which has been hit most, one of the cities that have just been hit most. i have not yet been to the city centre but the authorities expect we will be able to collect enough data. we are only here for five days and are investigating other parts of the very large affected area, but we hope we will be able to sample enough data. when we collect data we do not cherry pick, which helps us to be able to develop a more holistic understanding as to these percentages and basic statistics around building damage, obviously what we can do is limited but we are hoping we will be able to drive the

big groups representing hospitals and nhs trusts have called for compromise to end the pay dispute betweenjunior compromise to end the pay dispute between junior doctors and the government. thousands of medics will walk out on a second day of strikes across england. chanting. from manchester to lincoln to brighton, thousands ofjunior doctors will continue their 72—hour strike today in a dispute over pay and working conditions. the scale of the disruption is likely to be significant. junior doctors make up around a quarter of all gps and half of all hospital doctors in england. carrie, a former intensive care nurse, said she had an operation to test for cancer delayed because of the strikes.

the impact is huge. i never realised how big it was. my first cancer was diagnosed about six, seven years ago, and that waiting time is very, very hard. and i don't think until you've been through it you can actually understand it. i always thought i was a pretty compassionate nurse, but until i went through that myself, i didn't realise the complete ups and downs and highs and lows that you feel while you're waiting for that diagnosis, and the optimism when you think it might be ok compared to then the crash when you suddenly think it might not be. and to have that now delayed for yet another... hopefully not for too long, but having geared up for today to have it be delayed again, it has been a difficult few days, for sure. groups representing hospitals and other nhs trusts said they are working hard to minimise disruption and have called for compromise from both sides to end the dispute. nhs leaders need to see a resolution to the disruption that's being caused by this industrial action, and would call upon both the government and the trade

unions to get together, sit down and have proper conversations that can lead to a resolution. what do we want? the doctors' union has been asking for a 35% pay increase to make up for below—inflation wage rises over the last 15 years. the government called that demand unaffordable, but said it was open to talks about a new pay deal for this year and next if the union called off the strikes. jim reed, bbc news. the convicted paedophile gary glitter has been recalled to prison for breaking the conditions of his release. the 78—year—old former singer — whose real name is paul gadd — was released last month after serving half his 16—year sentence for sexually abusing three girls. aru na iyengar reports.

it's back to jail for gary glitter, just one month since he was freed. he was released on licence and had to wear a gps tag. but the probation service say protecting the public is their number one priority and gary glitter breached the terms of his licence. he was jailed in 2015 for attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under 13. the crimes went back to the 1970s. at the time, the judge described his abuse of a girl under ten as appalling. he'd been imprisoned before. in 1997, computer engineers at this bristol store discovered indecent images on glitter�*s computer hard drive. he was jailed for two months. he then went abroad and, in 2002, was expelled from cambodia amid sex crime allegations. in 2006, he was convicted of sexually abusing two young girls in vietnam, and spent two and a half years injail. he returned to the uk in 2008, and was forced to sign the sex offenders register. his past finally caught up with him. the 1970s glam rock pop

star was arrested under operation yewtree, the investigation launched by the met in 2012 in the wake of the jimmy savile scandal. that led to his trial and conviction. aruna iyengar, bbc news. china and russia have denounced a defence pact between the uk, the us and australia that would provide them with nuclear submarines. they called the deal a violation of the aims and objectives of the international non—proliferation treaty. russia said it would bring years of confrontation to asia. the us and britain will share sobering technology with australia. initially, australia will be provided with three american submarines. a new model of submarine

will be designed and built in britain and australia. let's get a reaction to this with our chief political correspondent chris eardley. what is the significance of this with the prime minister? ids, this with the prime minister? couple of key reasons. one is that it is good forjobs, there will be thousands of construction jobs in cumbria and derby as a result of this, and the fact that the uk plans to double the size of the submarine fleet. i think the bigger reason, by far, the key reason for this is the impact it is going to have on security, and the belief that the uk has shared with the us and australia that china is an increasing risk in the pacific, and that more needs to be done to counter that risk. we've heard from the prime minister rishi sunak, saying that he thinks china poses an e—book defining challenge. and we are going to hear more of that in the uk. there has been a slight ramping up of what the government here is saying about the

potential challenges that china poses, how far it goes in countering the challenges. for example, there is a big debate today about tiktok, the social media platform, and whether that should be used by politicians, by officials in the uk, there are politicians on the conservative party who think it should be banned in the uk, or at least they should be a significant crackdown on who uses it when it comes to civil servants and government issued phones. so, it feels to me like that question of the security risk posed by china is only going to continue, but the prime minister is only going to get more and more pressure to go further. ~ ., , ., �* , further. while we have you, let's have a look _ further. while we have you, let's have a look ahead _ further. while we have you, let's have a look ahead to _ further. while we have you, let's have a look ahead to the - further. while we have you, let's have a look ahead to the budget | have a look ahead to the budget tomorrow. the chancellorjeremy hunt is busy preparing for that. what can we expect? he is busy preparing for that. what can we exect? , ~ we expect? he is indeed. ithink there is going — we expect? he is indeed. ithink there is going to _ we expect? he is indeed. ithink there is going to be _ we expect? he is indeed. ithink there is going to be quite - we expect? he is indeed. ithink there is going to be quite a - we expect? he is indeed. ithink there is going to be quite a lot l we expect? he is indeed. ithink| there is going to be quite a lot in there is going to be quite a lot in the budget when it comes to getting

people in the uk back to work. there is real concern in the government that people retiring early, that there are a lot of vacancies in the job market. some political opponents would point to brexit. at the uk government is saying, look, we need to find out ways of incentivising people back to work. one way that we know ministers are exploring is to allow people to save more into their pensions without paying tax. that will only benefit those who earn more, particularly the likes of doctors and clinicians in hospitals, but that is one thing we are expecting tomorrow. there will be some support with childcare, again, thatis some support with childcare, again, that is designed to help people back into the workforce. the covenant is going to keep going with support for people with their energy bills. the key message from the uk government is one of stability at the moment, after some of the turmoil we saw

last year, the government here is going to stick to its plan, i expect, of getting inflation down, getting government borrowing down, and they believe that will put the government on a sounder political... or i should say sounder delivery of government spending on a sounder political footing. government spending on a sounder politicalfooting. but government spending on a sounder political footing. but there government spending on a sounder politicalfooting. but there is government spending on a sounder political footing. but there is also telling are always some surprises. i banking shares fell on asian markets overnight, reflecting nervousness after the sudden collapse of two us banks, silicon valley bank and signature bank over the weekend. the japan and hong kong indexes both saw falls of 2%. the european banks index only fell slightly after posting its biggest percentage loss of more than a year yesterday. the boss of silicon _ of more than a year yesterday. the boss of silicon valley bank has announced that the bank is conducting business as usual in the us, and to expect the resumption of cross—border transactions in the coming days. the us government has assured customers that it would

guarantee customer savings. earlier i spoke to ben king, who said even though bank shares were trading a little lower, the markets in europe were relatively calm. the little lower, the markets in europe were relatively calm.— were relatively calm. the sight of --eole were relatively calm. the sight of people queueing _ were relatively calm. the sight of people queueing outside - were relatively calm. the sight of people queueing outside banks . were relatively calm. the sight of people queueing outside banks is were relatively calm. the sight of. people queueing outside banks is a very worrying thing for say. a number of smaller, regional banks that people see might be vulnerable to some of the same issues as silicon valley bank saw very sharp falls in shares overnight. moody's, the credit ratings agency, downgraded five of the banks, warning that it seems that they could also be subject to similar risks. could also be sub'ect to similar risks. , , , ., ., risks. just explain what we think the link is between _ risks. just explain what we think the link is between these - risks. just explain what we think the link is between these banks| the link is between these banks collapsing in interest rates, and what that means now for interest rates going forward. fill]! what that means now for interest rates going forward.— rates going forward. all of these thin t s are rates going forward. all of these things are a _ rates going forward. all of these things are a consequence - rates going forward. all of these things are a consequence of- rates going forward. all of these things are a consequence of the| rates going forward. all of these - things are a consequence of the fact that interest rates have gone from very low levels at the end of 2021 to much higher levels now. really, really rapid pace of interest rate rises. that has caused issues throughout the financial system, because the bonds, the investments that are an iou, their value falls when interest rates rises. silicon

valley bank found itself in trouble because it had to sell a lot of the bonds at a loss in a hurry, that is what brought it down. there are fears that other banks around the world are also going to be carrying big losses on bond portfolios. for central banks, that means that this programme of interest rate rises that they have been put in place to try to control inflation has an expected consequences around the financial system. that means a lot of them will have to pause or go less fuss than they had expected —— less fuss than they had expected —— less fast than they had expected. now to india where air pollution is becoming a big problem. much attention has been focused on the levels of dirty air in big cities, but residents in many of india's small towns are breathing in much more polluted air. the country's rapid economic growth driven by its expanding cities and soaring energy needs is leaving pollution as a unavoidable — but often ignored by—product in these small towns. archana shukla reports.

the bustling city in the eastern indian state here is an image of a fast—growing city. with this blanket of choking smog that engulfs the city blurs its vision of the future. these roads, metro lines and numerous high—rises being constructed are critical to these towns that have historically been starved of infrastructure. but this is also leading to worsening air quality in cities and in nearby rural areas. the air here is 12 times more polluted than what is considered healthy. and the impact is seen in overcrowded clinics. this six—year—old coughs incessantly. the congestion on his chest has not subsided for two months. doctors say his lungs have become weak as a result of breathing polluted air.

translation: mi; result of breathing polluted air. translation:— result of breathing polluted air. translation: my child has been missing school _ translation: my child has been missing school regularly. - translation: my child has been missing school regularly. when . translation: my child has been | missing school regularly. when he travels through traffic and the school bus or goes out to play, his condition gets more serious. dirt? condition gets more serious. dirty air, after condition gets more serious. dirty air. after a — condition gets more serious. dirty air, after a decade _ condition gets more serious. dirty air, after a decade of— condition gets more serious. dirty air, after a decade of poor planning. in pollution monitoring has been limited. satellite images collated for two decade show that air pollution has risen faster and smaller towns. worst affected, there was in the most populous northern indian states. a professor in delhi who has been collating the satellite data says it shows pollution is not confined to city boundaries, and travels through the region. this is hih time travels through the region. this is high time that _ travels through the region. this is high time that india _ travels through the region. this is high time that india should - travels through the region. this is high time that india should start l travels through the region. this isj high time that india should start a dialogue, within the states. if you see the national clean air programme, it isjust see the national clean air programme, it is just talking about

the city. for many polluting sectors, technology exists but there is no proper regulation. llhtiil sectors, technology exists but there is no proper regulation.— is no proper regulation. until more is no proper regulation. until more is done, residents _ is no proper regulation. until more is done, residents in _ is no proper regulation. until more is done, residents in times - is no proper regulation. until more is done, residents in times like - is done, residents in times like these are forced to rely on paying for clean air. translation: sales of air urifiers for clean air. translation: sales of air purifiers almost _ for clean air. translation: sales of air purifiers almost tripled _ for clean air. translation: sales of air purifiers almost tripled in - for clean air. translation: sales of air purifiers almost tripled in one - air purifiers almost tripled in one year, especially here. middle—class families and even those from remote towns are also inquiring. {iii families and even those from remote towns are also inquiring.— towns are also inquiring. of the dust needs _ towns are also inquiring. of the dust needs to _ towns are also inquiring. of the dust needs to settle, _ towns are also inquiring. of the dust needs to settle, quite - dust needs to settle, quite literally, because bad air is an added cost for the government, with billions being spent to clean up. but efforts and awareness have been piecemeal and success is still elusive. to china now — where the government has announced it will once again start issuing a range of visas to foreigners from wednesday. it's seen as a major easing of travel restrictions that have been in place since the outbreak of the pandemic. the move marks the latest step towards reopening china to the outside world. our asia business reporter katie silver has more from singapore.

isa is a major easing that has been announced. we have heard that they are going to be opening it up to about four different categories of people. first of all, those who had visas issued prior to march 28, 2020, they will now be able to re—enter. some of these had multiple entry visas that were going to last in the order of about ten years. they also going to allow foreigners to apply for visas. and they are going to see visa free entry imports such as hainan, and for cruise ship arrivals in shanghai. they also going to ease restrictions for those arriving from hong kong, macao and asian countries. that is one aspect to it. the other is outbound travel. chinese travellers going abroad. up until now, there's been about 20 countries that group tours were able to go to. now they are extending this to being about 60 countries. one analyst i've just been speaking with said they have made the choices on which countries these will be.

somewhat politically, perhaps, those countries that have been more cordial in relations with china will find that they have access to this, they are on that list, as well as they are on that list, as well as the fact they say it has been about which countries that airlines feel they are going to be able to get a critical mass from. as you can imagine, airlines have really struggled through three years of tight covid restrictions. one analyst we have been speaking with, analyst we have been speaking with, an insider in chinese travel space, says it would be very much so in consultation with these airlines as to whether they feel they might be able to get travellers to go. italy was named as one potential country. what seems to reflect is that it's going to be a staged, slow reopening, for a sector that has really felt the effects of three years of tight covid instructions. dick fosbury — the man who revolutionised the high jump in athletics — has died at the age of 76. he won a gold medal at the 1968 olympics using his innovative technique of a curved run—up, twisting in the air and clearing

the bar backwards and face—up. the fosbury flop was subsequently adopted by all elite jumpers, most of whom had previously used the straddle technique. people travel to paris from all over the world to experience the classic architecture, fine food and maybe even a bit of romance but now, with a garbage collectors�* strike entering its second week, they're saying the capital is not looking totally at its best. stephanie prentice reports. from the eiffel tower, to notre—dame and the many winding shopping streets, charming restaurants and bars, paris is not called the city of love for nothing, but its image as a romantic hot spot is currently being tested to its limits. tourists in the city had started taking photos of giant piles of rubbish instead of a morning macaroon or a delicious glass of red. probably not one for the album.

it doesn't look as nice, you come to a city like this to look nice from what you see on the likes of social media, then we come and there is a lot of garbage on each corner, does not look as nice. translation: i came for a romantic trip to paris with my _ boyfriend and it spoils the charm of the city a little, the buildings and _ everything. the smell is very unpleasant. we had to slalom between the bins, it is not very nice. the piles of black bags and cardboard are the casualties of labour unions�* war with the government over plans to raise the pension age to 64. refuse collectors say they will not be back until emmanuel macron backs down. so how long until the postcards paris seen on screen returns? a critical vote on pensions is due on thursday and the results could change the face of the city

for weeks or months to come. following a recruitment crisis in social care, a company in stoke—on—trent has started to plug the gap in their workforce, by hiring people in their 50s and older. norah deaville became a pensioner herself more than 15—years—ago and now works as a care assistant, helping others who need extra support at home. our reporterjennie aitken went to meet her. if you've done the maths, you'll have worked out that makes norah 80 years old. norah works between three and five days a week caring for elderly clients in their own homes. well, obviously i do get tired, yeah, but as, you know, it's to be expected, really? well, they keep telling me to slow down, but when i have a week off work, after i've done what i've got to do, i get bored. great—grandmother norah thinks being a similar age than some of the clients she looks after helps her to connect with them. well, some of the clients i really love.

you know, you get certain ones that you get attached to. you've got to have a caring nature to a certain extent. you know, you can'tjust go in and say, "right come on, get up. "i'm getting you ready for bed. "you know, getting you ready, you're going somewhere." you've got to be a bit more sympathetic. 87—year—old pat is one of nora's regulars who feels really comfortable with her. it's lovely to see a smiling face in the morning, and she comes in and she's always happy. the thing is, she's someone you've got a communication with. despite being a carerfor almost 1t0 years, norah applied for and got her current role when she was 78. her employers say that care work is really well suited to older people. if i could get another tenj norahs, it'd be fantastic! so after celebrating that big birthday, has norah thought about her plans for retirement? not really, no. i mean, my mum was a worker. i'lljust keep going.

an nhs investigation into a toxic culture at an nhs trust has been described as lacking transparency and undermining trust. the ombudsman also said there were serious patient safety issues at university hospitals birmingham. three ma'or reviews are being i hospitals birmingham. three ma'or reviews are being launched i hospitals birmingham. three ma'or reviews are being launched on k hospitals birmingham. three major reviews are being launched on twol reviews are being launched on two university hospitals birmingham in response to growing concerns over bullying and poor workplace culture. newsnight has uncovered shocking allegations of a toxic culture at one of england's worst performing health trusts. it one of england's worst performing health trusts.— one of england's worst performing health trusts. , , ., ., health trusts. it seems that we have had a bullying _ health trusts. it seems that we have had a bullying culture _ health trusts. it seems that we have had a bullying culture going - health trusts. it seems that we have had a bullying culture going on - health trusts. it seems that we have had a bullying culture going on for i had a bullying culture going on for years— had a bullying culture going on for years and — had a bullying culture going on for years and years, and years, the trust _ years and years, and years, the trust it— years and years, and years, the trust. it hasn't been dealt with. those _ trust. it hasn't been dealt with. those that_ trust. it hasn't been dealt with. those that work there told us that they feared they would be punished if they raise to patient safety concerns. be

if they raise to patient safety concerns-— if they raise to patient safety concerns. �* ., , ., ., ., concerns. be careful what you do or sa , who concerns. be careful what you do or say. who you _ concerns. be careful what you do or say, who you criticise. _ concerns. be careful what you do or say, who you criticise. if— concerns. be careful what you do or say, who you criticise. if you - say, who you criticise. if you criticise _ say, who you criticise. if you criticise senior management, they will have _ criticise senior management, they will have you. is criticise senior management, they will have you-— will have you. is a result of our investigation, _ will have you. is a result of our investigation, the _ will have you. is a result of our investigation, the nhs - will have you. is a result of our investigation, the nhs in - will have you. is a result of our. investigation, the nhs in england has announced three different reviews into what has been going on there. but how independent and how rigorous will they be? rob behrens is the parliamentary and health service in the sun for england. he has investigated hundreds of complaints about you hp, but says that often the trust has been uncooperative and aggressive. thea;r uncooperative and aggressive. they were aggressive. — uncooperative and aggressive. tue: were aggressive, they uncooperative and aggressive. tts: were aggressive, they failed uncooperative and aggressive. "ttez1: were aggressive, they failed to understand the seriousness of the issues, and there was no learning culture in the organisation but we could see at all. and that is very serious indeed, because the issues are about patient safety.— are about patient safety. however, rob litehrens _ are about patient safety. however, rob behrens and _ are about patient safety. however, rob behrens and his _ are about patient safety. however, rob behrens and his team - are about patient safety. however, rob behrens and his team have - are about patient safety. however, l rob behrens and his team have been told by nhs england that they won't be able to give evidence to the reviews into uhb, despite the mass of evidence they have accumulated.

it is a serious issue for a patient safety organisation not to want to involve leaders and regulators in giving evidence to try and address the operational concerns that have caused the inquiry to be commissioned. to me, doesn't make sense. , ., , commissioned. to me, doesn't make sense. , . , _ sense. the reviews are being run by the integrated _ sense. the reviews are being run by the integrated care _ sense. the reviews are being run by the integrated care bought - sense. the reviews are being run by the integrated care bought in - the integrated care bought in birmingham and solihull, a part of nhs england. the chief executive of the icb recently told councillors that the reviews would not uncover serious patient safety issues. ihtll serious patient safety issues. all three serious patient safety issues. fill three of the reviewers were very clear that they would be happy for the family to be treated at university hospitals birmingham. t’m university hospitals birmingham. i'm surprised that, at this stage, someone _ surprised that, at this stage, someone would make a statement like that, when_ someone would make a statement like that, when two of those three reviews — that, when two of those three reviews have not taken place yet. i

would _ reviews have not taken place yet. i would need — reviews have not taken place yet. i would need to see evidence documented before i accepted that view _ documented before i accepted that view. ~ . , ., ., , view. meanwhile, the pulmonary ombudsman _ view. meanwhile, the pulmonary ombudsman has _ view. meanwhile, the pulmonary ombudsman has written - view. meanwhile, the pulmonary ombudsman has written to - view. meanwhile, the pulmonary ombudsman has written to nhsl view. meanwhile, the pulmonary- ombudsman has written to nhs england to protest the decision to exclude him from providing evidence to the inquiry is into uhb. nhs officials insist the reviews will be independent and said that they welcomed any support from the ombudsman. and you can see more on that story if you're watching in the uk on bbc two at 10.30 tonight on newsnight. the noise and crowds can be overwhelming — particularly for autistic people at live sport. star spin bowler danny briggs with his wife linsey and their three children at the edgbaston cricket ground. but, until recently, danny's biggest supporters were not always able to watch him play because of his eldest son stan's form of autism.

if it's a hot day, if he is in the stand, and it is really busy, the lights, music, whatever it may be, there is a lot there to overstimulate him or overwhelm him. what has changed all of that is the introduction of the sensory rooms, places laid out to help children on the autistic spectrum. if he sat in the crowd, he can feel really anxious because he is kind of, i need to move, i need to get out of here. so if we come and have a break, it is like sensory break as in your senses are calm, it's quiet in here, but also he can move around and look at things he needs to do kind of give him that level of balance. stan is eight years old. he has been diagnosed with pda — pathological demand avoidance. he is really, really heightened with his hearing, so he gets overwhelmed really quickly at busy and noisy places. even if it is not loud noises, it is just layers of lots of noise. he also really struggles to regulate his temperature,

so he gets really hot easily. warwickshire cricket club are the first in the country to introduce sensory rooms at their edgbaston ground. now, more clubs may follow. we love to pave the way, so we have other grounds coming to take pictures. understanding how we do it, how we operate it is really key. and the ecb are doing a bit of a case study on us, as well. commentator: he clips that away, he's done it! i that is a six from danny briggs. danny is a top spin bowler, but it was his batting skills that got the bears over the line in 2021 to win the championship. it is the first time he has spoken about his family's issues and how neurodiversity has affected them. for me, it is to spread awareness of autistic minds and also an acceptance, and this is part of that, really. to have this space does help and i think it is something that if i can help spread that and acceptance and awareness, that is a good thing for all of us to do, really.

but what does it mean for stan to finally be able to watch his dad play? i wanted to watch him but the crowd was really overwhelming and, like, the speakers. but in here, it isjust really not. warwickshire say the two sensory rooms are notjust for the players�* families but an option for anyone with neuro diversity needs. that's it from me, you can reach me on twitter. thanks for watching. hello again. it's a colder day to day for most of us, compared to the kind of temperatures we had yesterday. you can see that with the blues across the chart. wednesday coming to thursday, friday and saturday, and also sunday, when

we have milder air across the uk. what has been happening this morning is that we have had a weather front pushing steadily southwards, with a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow. most of the snow on the hills. we also have further snow showers coming in across the north of scotland, and across central parts of the country, prone to a wintry mix, meaning a mixture of rain, sleet, snow and also some hail. and don't be surprised if you hear the odd thunder. most of the snow is going to be on the hills, but in some of the heavier showers we could see it getting down to some lower levels. but we are not expecting huge amounts of it. a lot of dry weather in between the showers, with a fair bit of sunshine around as well. but, as i mentioned, feeling cold wherever you are. and with the wind, the brisk wind across the far north—east of scotland, that will really accentuate the cold feel. as we head through the evening and overnight, this clutch of winteriness tends to sink southwards as a feature. there will be further

wintry showers coming in across the north of scotland. mist and fog patch is likely across the midlands, for example. it's going to be a cold night. in sheltered glens, we could see temperatures falling away to —10 -ii. the see temperatures falling away to —10 —11. the risk of ice tomorrow morning, they widespread frost. but a lot of sunshine to start the cloud romps in from the west and the rain comes in, preceded by some hill snow across wales, north—west england and also western parts of scotland. in western scotland, we could see it at lower levels for a time. milder air is coming in behind this front. a whole clutch of fronts are moving northwards and also eastwards. one look at the isobars tells you it is going to be windy. there goes the rain, pushing northwards and eastwards. this is the cold front coming behind, producing some showery rain. there will be a lot of cloud around. quite a brisk wind on thursday as well. look at the temperatures come in double figures for many of us. still in the colder air across the final to scotland.

into the weekend, it remains unsettled. what at times and windy, but mild. —— wet at times.

this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm shaun ley and these are the latest headlines... china warns of "error and danger" after the us, uk and australia sign a pact on nuclear—powered submarines. other cutting—edge technology will only spare the arms race and other minor international. shares fall on asian markets as investors become nervous over the sudden collapse of two us banks.

job vacancies full for the first time in two years in a row. police in england and wales are not acting on complaints of violence against women by officers or staff. we cannot be _ women by officers or staff. - cannot be complacent and we really need very robust investigations to take forward and dismiss anyone who we think is working on our organisation that shouldn't be. let, organisation that shouldn't be. a state of emergency has been declared in malawi after tropical storm freddie struck the country for the second time killing nearly 100 people. hello and welcome to bbc news. china has denounced a defence

pact by the us, britain and australia that will provide australia with nuclear—powered attack submarines. the chinese foreign ministry said the three countries were on a path of error and danger, calling the deal a violation of the aims and objectives of the international non—proliferation treaty. here's the chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, wang wenbin, apeaking at the daily press briefing. translation: china has repeatedly stressed that the aukus pact - and the three countries advancing cooperation on nuclear submarines and other cutting edge military technology is typical cold war mentality, it will only spur an arms race and undermine the international nonproliferation regime and harm regional peace and stability. peace—loving countries have expressed serious concern and opposition. the latest joint statement from the three countries shows that in pursuit of geopolitical selfish interests the three countries can disregard the international community's concerns, and they are travelling further down

a dangerous and wrong path. our china correspondent, stephen mcdonell, attended this morning's press conference. i've just come from that press conference and indeed they were tough words from china's foreign ministry spokesperson, wang wenbin. he said that it wasn't only china that was opposed to this pact, that it was other countries, that these three governments had ignored the concerns of the international community, that they were going to harm international stability, fuel an international arms race. also, he accused these three countries of, by supplying weapons grade material to australia, a non—nuclear state, being in breach of international anti—proliferation agreements. what's more, he said that the three governments were leaning on the secretariat of the international atomic energy agency to try and get some sort of bogus clearance

for this pact to proceed. that's how the chinese government would see it. and finally, he finished by calling on the three governments not to go ahead with it. he said this should stop right now, that these three governments should honour their international obligations and promote regional stability by stopping this altogether. i'm joined now by profesorjohn blaxland — professor of international security and intelligence studies at the australian national university in canberra. lets start with the premise of this agreement between australia, the united states and the uk. in what way do you think it will strengthen regional security?— regional security? essentially, it -ushes regional security? essentially, it pushes back— regional security? essentially, it pushes back on _ regional security? essentially, it pushes back on the _ regional security? essentially, it pushes back on the notion - regional security? essentially, it pushes back on the notion that l regional security? essentially, it - pushes back on the notion that china can get whatever it wants without anybody pushing back. in southeast asia at the moment, there is a number of countries that would really love to have the support in

the neighbourhood in the face of relentless pursuit of chinese aspirations in the south china sea and beyond. the contravention of the un convention on the law of the sea, the assertion of the so—called land s line despite the arbitral tribunal warning in 2016 and the mass application of maritime militias that they have been playing a game of intimidation for quite some time. australia has been bearing the brunt of this through the exercise of chinese shop power as well. essentially, for australia, we have had submarines for generations. what we have realised is that diesel, electric propulsion proportion of sub range has evolved, they no longer cut it, they are detectable, if you lose yourself and you may as well pack up and go home. the idea of the nuclear propulsion summary makes eminent sense and try and china that very well which is exactly why they don't want australia to get them. they know that if they have and perth they

will probably intimidate other people out of doing it and then might even persuade some of the australian electorate that this is a bad idea. we have a former prime minister who is calling it out saying we shouldn't do it. on a bipartisan basis in australia, there is rock solid resolve that we will proceed down this path because we need nuclear propulsion submarines and that has become repeatedly clear in recent years and that is confirmed by the views from the uk and the united states, who are pretty much in lock step in agreement on this as well. the trouble is _ agreement on this as well. the trouble is that _ agreement on this as well. the trouble is that this deal could take years before it will actually result in those new submarines being deployed in the pacific, and quite a lot because review should bow. yes. lot because review should bow. yes, but there are — lot because review should bow. yes, but there are four— lot because review should bow. yes, but there are four steps _ lot because review should bow. lei: but there are four steps along the way which will see an change. nuclear propulsion submarines coming into austria from 2017 limerick 2027

onwards, we are going to see a rotational force based onwards, we are going to see a rotationalforce based in onwards, we are going to see a rotational force based in western australia and left after newark�*s position of beginning class new propulsion submarine, we're getting through. followed by the contraction of one that is going to be done with the uk, the raucous ssn which is a fall on from... it's thought out plan and it's one china is annoyed about because it doesn't want it to work, it is clearly inimical to their interest which is to basically persuade everybody to back off and give them what they want without a fight. give them what they want without a fi t ht. , ., , give them what they want without a fiht. , ., fight. one very last point, we had the president _ fight. one very last point, we had the president of— fight. one very last point, we had the president of micronesia - the president of micronesia effectively publicly accusing china of blackmail, and putting huge pressure on him and other leaders in the region to cooperate with its defence ambitions to establish bases across that part of asia, do you think there is a changing political

mood in some of the smaller countries?— mood in some of the smaller countries? . , . ., countries? that is evident. what we are seeing is — countries? that is evident. what we are seeing is relentless _ countries? that is evident. what we are seeing is relentless and - are seeing is relentless and restricted competition, legal, psychological, media attacks, there is push backs in fiji, in vanuatu, in many places across the pacific and even in southeast asia, quietly, people will say we are not going to go public in criticising china but we are happy that australia sending up we are happy that australia sending up on this. australia has been working very hard to persuade the neighbours that this is actually an act of goodwill and an act of stabilisation and an act of giving them some breathing space that they are not completely beholden to china. breathing down their necks and insisting on asserting their claims at the expense of the neighbouring contiguous states. this is a big game, is not over yet, it's got a long way to go, and this is clearly something where the reaction speaks volume about, in my estimation, about how important it is that this plan is followed

through. it's got bipartisan support in three countries.— in three countries. thank you very much. banking shares fell on asian markets overnight reflecting investors�* nervousness after the sudden collapse of two us banks — silicon valley bank and signature bank. japan�*s nikkei index and hong kong�*s hang seng both saw falls of about two percent. but the european banks index fell only slightly at the opening, after posting its biggest percentage loss in more than a year yesterday. the boss of silicon valley bank has announced that the bank is conducting "business as usual within the us", and to expect the resumption of cross—border transactions in the coming days. the us government has assured customers that it would guarantee customers savings. joining us from oxford is economist, sirjohn vickers, the former chair of the independent commission on banking. it was supposed to never happen again, it hasn�*t yet, but has this reinforced some of the concerns you expressed in your inquiry? titer?

reinforced some of the concerns you expressed in your inquiry? very much so. it expressed in your inquiry? very much so- it certainly _ expressed in your inquiry? very much so. it certainly has. _ expressed in your inquiry? very much so. it certainly has. there _ expressed in your inquiry? very much so. it certainly has. there have - so. it certainly has. there have been a lot of excellent reforms in the 15 years since the crisis of 2008, the capital standards, ways to resolve banks, those will have helped a lot in recent days with the collapse of sbb but those reforms both globally and nationally in my view should have gone considerably further. one of the lessons of these events is that they do need to go further and they certainly should not be rowed back in the other direction as some voices calling for deregulation were seeking. ititlere direction as some voices calling for deregulation were seeking. were all of our deregulation were seeking. were all of your observations, _ deregulation were seeking. were all of your observations, your _ of your observations, your proposals, adopted? is there anything particularfrom proposals, adopted? is there anything particular from your report recommendations that you think looking at what�*s happened over the weekend might well be worth revisiting?— weekend might well be worth revisitin ? .., ., ., , revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk. revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk- we — revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk. we were _ revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk. we were set _ revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk. we were set up _ revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk. we were set up by - revisiting? our recommendations were for the uk. we were set up by uk - for the uk. we were set up by uk government to write a report and our

recommendations were pretty much adopted particularly the structural reform for banks called ring fencing. we were in a global context, and the global regulatory baseline is absolutely crucial. our view when we did our work a dozen years ago was that that had not gone far enough and that very much remains my view and a perfect example of that goes to the heart of theissue example of that goes to the heart of the issue that silicon valley bank got into trouble for, which is that globally, notjust in the uk but globally, notjust in the uk but globally, the regulatory risk deemed to be associated with holding government bonds is precisely zero for the most part. everybody knows it�*s not zero and what silicon valley bank did was to take a position in us government bonds which of course are safe in the sense that they will be repaid by interest rates went the wrong way for them and so they lost a tonne of money. that solvency problem

precipitated a crisis that has been unfolding before us. that precipitated a crisis that has been unfolding before us.— precipitated a crisis that has been unfolding before us. that could be a warnin to unfolding before us. that could be a warning to future _ unfolding before us. that could be a warning to future situations - unfolding before us. that could be a warning to future situations like - warning to future situations like this. thank you very much. a uk team of structural and civil engineers are travelling to the earthquake zone in turkey, to assess why so many buildings collapsed. turkish engineers already on the ground, have provided them with proof of inferior building materials being used in construction. the team will produce a report in a matter of weeks, designed to improve seismic safety when the area is rebuilt. our science editor, rebecca morelle, has more. the devastation of last month�*s earthquake. more than 50,000 people lost their lives as buildings collapsed in the biggest earthquake to hit the region in almost a century. now, an investigation is beginning to try and find some answers amongst the wreckage. so how many buildings did you actually end up serving as a team? professor emily so is leading the earthquake engineering field investigation team or e—fit. structural engineers in the uk and turkey are working together to assess the damage.

she has been getting the latest update from someone who�*s been there too. they have been taking some samples of concrete and has found large pebbles embedded in it. do you think they got these aggregates locally because it's got lots of rivers around? yeah, all of them taken from the river. the river pebbles shouldn�*t be there. they weaken the structure. she�*s also found some steel bars are smooth instead of ridged, which means the concrete doesn�*t cling to them — again, reducing the strength. this kind of in—depth analysis can only be done by having experts on the ground. it's important to get the full picture rather thanjust looking at a snapshot of a single asset or a single building. because the successes of the ones that are still intact and perform perfectly well is as important as its neighbours that have collapsed, and actually having that distribution, having that overview is really key to what we do and what can learn from this earthquake. but the collapse of some buildings isn�*t because of poor construction.

in some areas, the ground movement was so great it exceeded what the buildings had been designed to withstand. and in others, a process called liquefaction turns the ground into a heavy fluid, like very wet sand. a telltale sign of this is a building that�*s toppled over. at the engineering company arup, computer simulations show why some buildings fail. we�*re starting to see more movement in the columns. this part of the building is moving more. the connection with the central core has failed. that part has collapsed. this part has collapsed. the building has performed really, really badly. but buildings can be designed to withstand seismic events. we can see the performance of the columns, and the beams, and the floors, and the ceilings, and everything remains intact. so that�*s a clean bill of health. the basic design principle is to allow some form of damage within the building. that damage absorbs the energy of the earthquake, means the building will move a little bit more. things will be cracked,

but generally the building will survive, and that�*s the sort of baseline. how do you construct buildings in an earthquake zone? the vertical columns should be stronger than the horizontal beams. it means the upper storeys are supported, so you don�*t get what�*s called pancaking — where one layer collapses on top of another. dampers can be added too. they act like shock absorbers as the building sways to and fro, and rubber bearings can be fitted underneath the building. they absorb the energy of the earthquake so it doesn�*t transfer to the structure above. but all of this costs money. and retrofitting an older building can be even more expensive. with so much destruction, there�*s a huge task ahead. it will take years of careful planning to rebuild. the hope is that the findings of this investigation will ensure this kind of devastation is not seen again. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

joining me now is emily so, director of cambridge university centre for risk in the built environment. thank you for talking to us. you are monitoring the team in turkey this week, what have they established so far? f , , . far? they've been in the field since esterda far? they've been in the field since yesterday and _ far? they've been in the field since yesterday and they _ far? they've been in the field since yesterday and they are _ far? they've been in the field since i yesterday and they are concentrating at the moment in the coastal town of iskander ran and had tie, they are looking really specifically at the deep tailing of buildings that have collapsed but also comparing it to buildings that haven�*t collapsed in adjacent streets and neighbourhoods. is it fair to say that there are some instances and obviously you will have to work on this detail and i appreciate it�*s far too early to draw any definite conclusions but there are cases where buildings of there are cases where buildings of the same vintage, post the 1999 earthquake, which led to the strengthening of building codes,

there are buildings that were covered by that codes that have collapsed and others that haven�*t. that�*s what we�*re there to find out. really, to look at the construction, so we can see if we can get anything from the debris and the damaged buildings and assess whether it is the detailing that has gone wrong, whether the actual design is the problem, and really investigate the causes of the damage rather than looking at the pictures and assigning damage to that. tts looking at the pictures and assigning damage to that. its of a see a very — assigning damage to that. its of a see a very different _ assigning damage to that. its of a see a very different process - assigning damage to that. its of a see a very different process from | see a very different process from what say and it make insurance company would be doing, have you been able to glean any information from turkish engineers about things that would not to fish should have been? brute that would not to fish should have been? ~ . , ., , ., that would not to fish should have been? . , ,, that would not to fish should have been? . , been? we have been able to assess so far that from — been? we have been able to assess so far that from the _ been? we have been able to assess so far that from the debris _ been? we have been able to assess so far that from the debris that's - been? we have been able to assess so far that from the debris that's been - far that from the debris that�*s been left behind there as been some substandard concrete venues, reinforcement bars as rebecca was saying, there are smoother, not hooks properly to each other, and

those details are really vital to providing earthquake resistant buildings and our turkish colleagues who the ground much earlier than we have really got this and reporting what we�*re trying to do as an an independent assessment to try to cement their information but also disseminate that two international colleagues as well. t disseminate that two international colleagues as well.— colleagues as well. i suppose it underlines _ colleagues as well. i suppose it underlines an _ colleagues as well. i suppose it underlines an issue _ colleagues as well. i suppose it underlines an issue for - colleagues as well. i suppose it | underlines an issue for countries all around the globe that it is fine to have codes and the right building materials but you have to establish that the codes have been observed and the materials have been used by some kind of inspection process after or during the building and eva after or during the building and eva after completion.— after completion. construction in any country _ after completion. construction in any country is — after completion. construction in any country is along _ after completion. construction in any country is along process - after completion. construction in | any country is along process from design to intimidation. in each stage you need that understanding and knowledge to transfer that knowledge across to incentivise people to do things properly. i think we are trying to find out worldwide strategies to give that

incentive and to disseminate this knowledge that is really vital. brute knowledge that is really vital. we will look forward to hearing from you and your team again once you have completed your evaluations. thank you for talking to us. a state of emergency�*s been declared in malawi after tropical storm freddy struck the country for a second time, killing more than a hundred people. rescue workers describe being completely overwhelmed by the rainfall and mudslides. the cyclone�*s one of the longest running in history and has caused havoc across parts of southern africa. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news... two people have been killed and nine others injured after they were hit by a truck in canada. the incident happened in the town of amqui, north of quebec city. a 38—year—old man has been taken into custody as police investigate whether the incident was deliberate or not. prime ministerjustin truedeau has sent his condolences to the people of amqui. us president biden has said he intends to visit northern ireland

to mark the twenty—fifth anniversary of the good friday agreement that formally ended 30 years of conflict in the province. it was signed on the 10th of april 1998. mr biden — speaking at a news conference alongside the british prime minister rishi sunak — said it was his intention to visit both northern ireland and the republic of ireland. the controversial british social media influencer andrew tate has appeared in court in romania, for a bail hearing seeking to end months of preventative detention. mr tate and his brother, tristan, have been detained since december. they�*re being investigated by romanian police on charges of rape and people trafficking, which they both deny. a decision on this latest bail attempt is expected later today. new employement figures showjob vacancies in the uk fell for the eighth time in a row. the official figures come a day ahead of wednesday�*s budget when the chancellor is expected to set out plans to encourage people back into work.

the number ofjobs on offer between december and february fell by 51,000 compared with the three months before. the unemployment rate remained at 3.7% — low by intera ntional standards. joining us now is the head of financial analysis at ajay bell. you are broadcast yourself. can i some clarification, it is the eighth successive quarter, is it? eighth successive _ successive quarter, is it? eighth successive month. _ successive quarter, is it? eighth successive month. we - successive quarter, is it? eighth successive month. we had - successive quarter, is it? eighth. successive month. we had record figures as businesses came out of lockdown, it was a huge jobs figures as businesses came out of lockdown, it was a hugejobs boom, but as the cost of living crisis has started to bite, those vacancy numbers have started to full. the challene numbers have started to full. the challenge is _ numbers have started to full. the challenge is if _ numbers have started to full. the challenge is if we are talking about

falling numbers of vacancies, but still a lot of capacity in the economy in terms of employment, how do you get people to fill those jobs? is it that our population is shrinking, what�*s going on? t jobs? is it that our population is shrinking, what's going on? i think a lot of people _ shrinking, what's going on? i think a lot of people left _ shrinking, what's going on? i think a lot of people left the _ shrinking, what's going on? i think a lot of people left the workforce l a lot of people left the workforce during covid lockdown is, particularly, and thinking about the over 50s who were very concerned about their health and theyjust haven�*t returned to the workplace. you also have an issue where lots of people may have decided that they were going to remain in full—time education rather than going to the workplace during those covid lockdown is, and you have a situation where there were an awful lot of people trying to access the nhs because they have health issues but adding to that a number of mums who say that childcare is utterly unaffordable and just keeping them from getting a job. iloathed unaffordable and just keeping them from getting a job-— unaffordable and just keeping them from getting a job. from getting a 'ob. what about some ofthe from getting a job. what about some of the measures _ from getting a job. what about some of the measures that _ from getting a job. what about some of the measures that the _ from getting a job. what about some of the measures that the chancellorl of the measures that the chancellor might look to take in his budget, his financial statement, which is due on wednesday of this week? what would help in that regard? ititle’sre

due on wednesday of this week? what would help in that regard?— would help in that regard? we've had a number of— would help in that regard? we've had a number of leaks _ would help in that regard? we've had a number of leaks as _ would help in that regard? we've had a number of leaks as budgets - would help in that regard? we've had a number of leaks as budgets tend i would help in that regard? we've had a number of leaks as budgets tend to j a number of leaks as budgets tend to deliver before we actually get the full details from the chancellor, one of the things that the chancellor is looking to do is to raise the amount of money that people can save into their pension pot before they get taxed punitively, so that should help a number of skilled workers, and particularly thinking about the likes of surgeons and doctors to remain in the nhs for longer. there has also been a lot of talk of the need to maybe change the money purchasing allowance which means that if you have taken a little bit of your pension as an income then the amount that you can save into your pension pot drops from what is currently £40,000 per year to just £4000 per year. a lot of people say, what is the point of going back to work when we can�*t pad our pension pot a bit more? another thing that we know that he is going to do

something about it is those childcare costs. we know that people on universal credit, there is a lot of talk that he will increase the amount that they can claim but also allow them to claim in advance so they don�*t have to shell out before they don�*t have to shell out before they get their first pay packet, they get their first pay packet, they can pay the provider beforehand. also, just generally, to help other mums and dads if you are really struggling with childcare costs to allow that 30 hours of free childcare which is currently available for children between the ages of 3—4, before they go to school, to mean that people can claim that from one and two—year—olds. that would mean that once you have finished your maternity or paternity leave, you could go straight back to work and have a little bit of free childcare which would really help.- have a little bit of free childcare which would really help. those are the sorts of— which would really help. those are the sorts of people _ which would really help. those are the sorts of people who _ which would really help. those are the sorts of people who might - which would really help. those are the sorts of people who might be l the sorts of people who might be tempted into the workforce, back into the workforce, after they have had a baby, relatively quickly, presumably? if that many were available at front.— available at front. absolutely. particularly — available at front. absolutely.

particularly if _ available at front. absolutely. particularly if you _ available at front. absolutely. particularly if you have - available at front. absolutely. particularly if you have reallyl available at front. absolutely. - particularly if you have really been in work and you have just taken time out to have a child, you are already embedded within the workplace culture. you are still feeling confident, you don�*t have barriers to overcome. if you are talking about may be waiting three or four years before your child goes to school and then going back to the workplace, that can be incredibly difficult to overcome and you�*ve sort of cut your cloth accordingly and figured out how to make your budget work. we do know that the cost of living crisis has made some people step back into the workplace so the number of people on the economic inactivity list has fallen a little bit over the last month or so but it is still 1% higher than what it was before covid came to the shores. . ~ what it was before covid came to the shores. ., ,, , ., what it was before covid came to the shores. . ~' , ., , what it was before covid came to the shores. ., ,, , ., , . �* shores. thank you very much. i'm ttoin shores. thank you very much. i'm going shores. thank you very much. i'm ttoin to be shores. thank you very much. i'm going shores. thank you very much. i'm ttoin to be trtesentin shores. thank you very much. i'm going shores. thank you very much. i'm otitn to be trtesentin a shores. thank you very much. i'm going shores. thank you very much. i'm otitn to be trtesentin a cou-le shores. thank you very much. i'm going shores. thank you very much. i'm otitn to be trtesentin a cou-le of going to be presenting a couple of special programmes on wednesday

morning live from westminster, budget coverage at 9:30am uk time and again at 3:30pm uk time. stay with us on bbc news. it's it�*s a cold day today for most of us compared to the kind of temperatures we had yesterday, you can see that with the blues across the charts. during wednesday and into thursday, friday and saturday and also sunday, we have the milder air across the uk. what has been happening this morning is we have had a weather front pushing steadily southwards with a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow. most of the snow in the hills. we also have further snow showers coming in across the north of scotland and also across central parts of the country, we are prone to that wintry mix meaning a mix of rain, sleet, snow and also some hail. don�*t be surprised if you hear the odd rumble of thunder. most of the odd rumble of thunder. most of the snow is going to be on the

hills, some of the heavy showers, we could see it getting down to some lower levels but we are not expecting huge amounts. a lot of dry weather in between the showers with a fair bit of sunshine as round as well. as a mention, feeling cold wherever you are. with the wind, brisk wind, across the far north—east of scotland, that will really accentuate the cold feel. as we head on through the evening and overnight, this collection of wintriness tends to sink southwards as a weakening feature. there will be further wintry showers coming in across the north of scotland, some mist and fog patches lightly, across the midlands for example, and it�*s going to be cold night. we could see temperatures fall away to —10 or 11. the risk of ice tomorrow morning and the whisk of widespread frost. a lot of sunshine to start the day before the cloud rocks and from the west and the rain comes in preceded by some hill snow across wales, north—west england, and also western parts of scotland. although in western scotland, we could see it at

lower levels for a time. still cold for most but milder air starting to come in behind. behind this front, actually, the whole clutch of france are moving northwards and also eastwards and one look at those isobars tells you it�*s going to be windy. there goes the rain, pushing northwards, and eastwards, this is the cold front coming in behind producing some showery rain. there will be a supplied run, quite a brisk wind on thursday but look at temperatures, in double figures for many of us still in the colder air across the far north of scotland. into the weekend it remains unsettled, wet at times and windy but mild.

global banking shares continue to slump following the collapse of silicon valley bank — will central banks now hit pause on raising rates? the uk�*s unemployment rate remains unchanged, but concerns rise as wages remain static too. we get an expert view. welcome to world business report. i�*m ben thompson. the fallout of the collapse of silicon valley bank continues. investors are still on edge after banking shares saw sharp falls on monday. the sell—off continued in asia, with japan�*s largest banks also seeing heavy losses.

shares of mufg, mizuho and smfg were all down around 8% in trading.