today at1:00... the chancellor is expected to use tomorrow's budget to increase the amount people can have in their pension pots before paying extra tax. it is thought the figure will increase to £1.8 million over a lifetime, up from just over £1 million. there are questions about who this will benefit. the changes to pensions, they should help a number of people who were perhaps weighing up what they wanted to do in terms of staying in work or capping what they were paying into their pensions, but they are not the only group that needed to be supported, and the budget needs to look at this in the round. we will be looking at the challenges facing the chancellor in tomorrow's budget. also, eleanor williams is jailed for eight and harvey years at

preston crown court after falsely claiming she was the victim of an asian grooming gang. —— eight and a half years. the devastation left by the earthquake in turkey. now uk engineers fly out to help assess why so many buildings collapsed. and the public swimming pool that is being heated by a tiny data in exmouth. coming up on the bbc news channel, a privilege to play him, but that didn't stop him winning. jack draper faces and beats andy murray for the first time in an all—british battle at indian wells. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the total amount people can accumulate in their pension pots before paying extra tax is expected to be increased in tomorrow's budget. it's thought people could

save up to £1.8 million over a lifetime, up from just over a million currently. the change is part of the government's plans to persuade people to stay in work for longer — but critics say the move will only benefit a small fraction of the workforce. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. at the kitchen of this pub in romsey, near southampton, they are trying to get the stuff they need by training apprentices. and there is no age limit. at 58, claire o'neill was starting to find her old job as a housekeeper to physically demanding. but rather than retire early, she is now starting a whole new career as a chef. like early, she is now starting a whole new career as a chef.— new career as a chef. like the thrill and _ new career as a chef. like the thrill and the _ new career as a chef. like the thrill and the buzz _ new career as a chef. like the thrill and the buzz of - new career as a chef. like the thrill and the buzz of the - thrill and the buzz of the kitchen, it's a very lively atmosphere. it can be very challenging, but it is also incredibly rewarding, when you have had over 100 people on a sunday and you get to the end of the shift and you get to the end of the shift and you get to the end of the shift and you think, i don't know how we did that, but we did. like and you think, i don't know how we did that, but we did.— did that, but we did. like millions of workplaces _ did that, but we did. like millions of workplaces across _ did that, but we did. like millions of workplaces across the - did that, but we did. like millions of workplaces across the country, | of workplaces across the country, this pub a's problem isn't a lack of

customers. eversince this pub a's problem isn't a lack of customers. ever since the bounce back from the pandemic, the problem has been finding the stuff. half a million workers have exited the place, some retiring earlier than before. businesses like this are trying to lure old workers back in. the experience, the life skills, the way they carry themselves and can talk to people naturally, it's great having the energy of young people joining the business but you can't train experience.— joining the business but you can't train experience. won't change the government _ train experience. won't change the government is _ train experience. won't change the government is reportedly - train experience. won't change the government is reportedly planning| train experience. won't change the i government is reportedly planning is to raise the lifetime tax—free limit on the value of pension schemes, above which you get hit with an extra tax charge. an increasing number of employees paid much more than claire, such as doctors, will soon have pension pots that breach the £1 million limit, after it was cut in recent years by successive chancellors. the government is thinking of raising that limit back to £1.8 million, to prevent doctors and others from retiring early to avoid the tax charge. but actuaries say that few workers will have a

pension big enough to benefit from that. employers say that much more is needed than that, to help those that are economically inactive, to return to the workplace. the changes to ensions return to the workplace. the changes to pensions should _ return to the workplace. the changes to pensions should help _ return to the workplace. the changes to pensions should help a _ return to the workplace. the changes to pensions should help a number- return to the workplace. the changes to pensions should help a number of| to pensions should help a number of people who were perhaps weighing up what they want to do, in terms of staying in work or capping what they pay into their pensions. they are not the only group that needed to be supported. one of the biggest changes we need to see a around childcare. there has to be support for working parents and the whole family, to really consider how they make sure that work is affordable. official figures published today show average earnings rose by 7% in the private sector and 4.8% in the public sector, still nowhere near enough to keep up with inflation. it means the real value of the average wage, the goods and services it could buy, is falling at one of its fastest rate is at the last 20 years. i fastest rate is at the last 20 ears. ~' ., , fastest rate is at the last 20 ears. ~ ._ , years. i think there may be some more -a years. i think there may be some more pay growth _ years. i think there may be some more pay growth for _ years. i think there may be some more pay growth for public - years. i think there may be some | more pay growth for public sector workers in the pipeline, potentially to be announced in tomorrow's budget. but the private sector, it

feels like some of the momentum has gone and as inflation comes down, some of the ability to demand higher pay has gone with that as well. white marker with the cost of living rising so quickly, older workers already have plenty of reasons not to retire early. in tomorrow's budget, the chancellor, jeremy hunt, is expected to supply a few reasons more. and hejoins me now. can you explain what this lifetime limit is, and will raising it help everyone? the government _ will raising it help everyone? tue: government provides will raising it help everyone? tte: government provides tax will raising it help everyone? t"t9 government provides tax relief will raising it help everyone? tt9 government provides tax relief for pensions to try to encourage people to save. that means if you are saving into a private pension and you put £80 in, you are on basic rate tax, you are paying from taxable income. so the government will give you another £20 back so it adds up to £100. but it doesn't want to give those benefits, the tax reliefs, without limit. so back in 2006, gordon brown, as chancellor, said we would only do it up to £1.8 million, total value of your pension

pot. then in the last decade, chancellors, successive chancellors including george osborne, cut that limit and now it has reached the point where high—paid people like doctors are bumping up against it because their pension pots are worth more than £1 million, and the bma have been lobbying to raise this limit so that doctors are not faced with a choice where if i carry on working i am just bringing myself a tax charge. if you bus to the limit, you get a tax charge, another 55% on a lump sum, or another 25% on top of normal income tax rate. in order to avoid that, the government are saying we are going to raise that, or at least we think that is what the government is going to say tomorrow. in terms of the numbers of people it will benefit, only 300,000 people, according to actuaries we have spoken to, actually have reached the limit so far. the number that are heading for a breach of that are heading for a breach of that limit is just that are heading for a breach of that limit isjust 1.3 that are heading for a breach of that limit isjust1.3 million. so, just to give you an idea, that is less than 4% of the workforce. in the salary you would have to be earning at retirement to bridge that

limit is about £80,000. that is a lot more than most people earn. mane lot more than most people earn. many thanks, andy — lot more than most people earn. many thanks, andy verity. _ our chief political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. what will the chancellor be hoping to achieve with tomorrow's budget? tt is a keep things calm budget after some of the turmoil of the past year or so. jeremy hunt will be doing everything he can to try and keep things on course. i think there will be some more help with the cost of living, the energy price guarantee is going to remain for another three months. it is likely that tax relief on fuel will be extended as well. but the chancellor is under a lot of pressure from his own mps to come up with a better growth plan. and that is going to be focused on getting more people into the workforce and keeping people in the workforce longer. that is what the plans are

all about, to try to incentivise some sectors to keep people for longer, with a particular eye to doctors and clinicians. ministers are worried that too many of them are worried that too many of them are seeing working for longer as a disincentive, because of the tax penalties that they are facing. so, there's that. i think that conservative mps who were hoping for tax cuts are going to be bitterly disappointed. in fact, tax cuts are going to be bitterly disappointed. infact, corporation tax is going to go up, as planned. there might be some tax incentives for bigger companies to invest in the uk, to try to persuade some of those tory mps. that's because the big plan, orthe big those tory mps. that's because the big plan, or the big priority, those tory mps. that's because the big plan, orthe big priority, i should say, that the chancellor has is getting inflation under control. that is his number one thing, the thing that this government thinks it is going to bejudged on. he is hoping tomorrow's budget is a bit dull. there is always interesting stuff in there, and it matters to

all of us. a woman who falsely claimed she was raped and trafficked by an asian grooming gang has been sentenced to eight and a half years injail. 22—year—old eleanor williams from barrow—in—furness, was found guilty of perverting the course ofjustice injanuary. our correspondent, nick garnett, is outside preston crown court. tell us what was said in court. right, when eleanor williams went to the police claiming she had been drugged, attacked, abused and a victim of a sex gang in barrow—in—furness, there was one slight problem. she was lying. williams was a fantasist. police had to deal with her claim seriously. they arrested one man and questioned others. one was charged with rape. far right activists came to barrow—in—furness to protest on her behalf. it has the investigation went on, holes started to form in

her claims. she created social media accounts that had been completely false. she had pretended to be in place as she never was. even her own sister testified against her. at one point, she claimed to have been attacked by a hammer. it then turned out that she bought the hammer herself before injuring herself and post in the photographs on social media. she has been sentenced to four years in prison, and another four years in prison, and another four years in prison, and another four years on licence, she will be released and still on licence with big restrictions on ever owning devices that can connect to the internet. it is a serious crime. the judge explained to the court why he was treating it so seriously. the harm of this offending extends to an undermining of public confidence in the criminaljustice system. we are aware that sex trafficking of young females does occur. there is a risk that genuine victims will, as a result of this defendant's actions, feel deterred from reporting it. people may be less likely to believe their allegations.

the effects of this are long—running. three of the men who were accused have tried to take their own lives. racial hatred in barrow has been on the rise and the effects are still being felt there. thank you. there has been no letup in demand during thejunior doctor there has been no letup in demand during the junior doctor strikes, according to the group that represents nhs trusts. nhs providers say that the pressure is on the health service remain high, despite the pressures of the stoppage. it is the pressures of the stoppage. it is the biggest strike in the history of the biggest strike in the history of the nhs. junior doctors make up 40% of medical staff, so the industrial action is affecting appointments right across england. they want a 35% pay rise, with the union, the british medical association, saying that pay has fallen by a quarter in real terms in the last 15 years. but the health secretary steve barclay says that it's completely

unaffordable. the three—day strike began yesterday morning and will continue until 7am on thursday morning. here's our health correspondent katherine da costa. if you're underpaid and know it, say fair pay. if you're underpaid and know it, say fair -a . :, if you're underpaid and know it, say fair -a . ., , fair pay. out on the picket lines for a second — fair pay. out on the picket lines for a second day _ fair pay. out on the picket lines for a second day in _ fair pay. out on the picket lines for a second day in what - fair pay. out on the picket lines for a second day in what is - for a second day in what is described as the most extensive nhs strike yet. like thousands of others across england, thesejunior doctors across england, these junior doctors at across england, thesejunior doctors at saint thomass in london says that years of pay aversion has led to this. , :, , , :, years of pay aversion has led to this. , , ., this. everyday is a battle, i fire fiuht this. everyday is a battle, i fire fi . ht and this. everyday is a battle, i fire fight and i _ this. everyday is a battle, i fire fight and i have _ this. everyday is a battle, i fire fight and i have had _ this. everyday is a battle, i fire fight and i have had to - this. everyday is a battle, i fire fight and i have had to reduce l this. everyday is a battle, i fire i fight and i have had to reduce my hours because of burn—out. now, because i am less than full time, i can't afford to pay my mortgage. tote can't afford to pay my mortgage. we are losing doctors at a rapid speed because _ are losing doctors at a rapid speed because of— are losing doctors at a rapid speed because of the working conditions and new — because of the working conditions and pay. the because of the working conditions and - . because of the working conditions and -a. ., �*, ., because of the working conditions anda. ., and pay. the doctor's union, bma, sa s that and pay. the doctor's union, bma, says that junior _ and pay. the doctor's union, bma, says that junior doctors _ and pay. the doctor's union, bma, says thatjunior doctors are - says thatjunior doctors are underpaid at £14 per hour for basic pay in the first year. that works out at £29,000 a year. butjunior doctors can earn around 30% more in

overtime and working unsociable hours. the average salary for a full junior doctor in england isjust over £57,000. consultants have been drafted in to cover key areas in urgent and emergency care during the 72 hour strike. the impact on other services is expected to be significant, including to some cancer care. carrie, a former intensive care nurse, said that she had an operation to test for cancer cancelled because of the strikes. the impact is huge. i never realised how big it was. i had my first cancer diagnosed about six or seven years ago. that waiting time is very, very hard. i think until you have been through it you can't actually understand it. despite the walk out, some _ actually understand it. despite the walk out, some hospitals - actually understand it. despite the walk out, some hospitals are - actually understand it. despite the walk out, some hospitals are able| actually understand it. despite the l walk out, some hospitals are able to continue with routine operations. but it is a mixed picture. the full

impact will not be known for a few days. impact will not be known for a few da s. ., ., . ., days. one thing we have noticed that is different from _ days. one thing we have noticed that is different from other _ days. one thing we have noticed that is different from other strike - is different from other strike days is different from other strike days is that demand for care has been sustained. in previous strike days, we saw that drop. it means the nhs is trying to keep things going, it was already overstretched, but it has fewer resources at its disposal. the government says the bma's pay ka is completely unaffordable and it urged officials to call off the strike and enter into pay talks along with other health unions in england, and help bring this ongoing dispute to an end. the overwhelming amount of police officers accused of violence by women and girls face no further action, new figures show. the data covers all forces in england and wales between october 2021 and march last year. only 13 of those

accused were sacked. 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 from the public 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 officers and staff. june kelly, bbc news. the time is 1:18. our top story this afternoon. the chancellor is expected to use tomorrow's budget to increase the amount people can have in their pension pot before paying extra tax. i'm here at cheltenham, where one of racing's most famous festivals is about to get under way. coming up on the bbc news channel: pep guardiola admits his time at manchester city will be judged on success in europe as they prepare to play rb leipzig in the second leg of their champions league last 16 tie.

a uk team of structural and civil engineers is travelling to the earthquake zone in turkey to assess why so many buildings collapsed. turkish engineers who are 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 tugce tetik, who's been to adiyaman. tugce has 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.

a storm that's ripped through malawi has left at least 190 people dead. many died and mudslides that washed away homes in the commercial capital of the country. the state has declared a state of emergency, as richard galpin reports. the heavy rainfall and strong winds brought by tropical storm freddy have caused significant damage in this area. and they have left many people dead. the police here say the rescue teams have been completely overwhelmed, leading the authorities to declare a state of disaster in the ten hardest hit districts. according to the authorities, people have been swept away in the fast moving water. buildings have also been brought down, and some people have been buried in landslides. the government is appealing for help for the tens of thousands of people who have now lost their homes

and have no drinkable water. there are concerns that the tropical storm could exacerbate a cholera outbreak in the area. storm freddy is the strongest tropical cyclone on record. the storm has also hit mozambique as a cyclone and battered the island of madagascar. richard galpin, bbc news. certain cough medicines fell behind the counter at pharmacies are being withdrawn over safety concerns. health experts say there is a very rare chance of people experiencing an allergic reaction linked to one of the ingredients. our health correspondent michelle roberts can tell us more. the correspondent michelle roberts can tell us more-— tell us more. the ingredient is in medications that _ tell us more. the ingredient is in medications that you _ tell us more. the ingredient is in medications that you had - tell us more. the ingredient is in medications that you had to - tell us more. the ingredient is in l medications that you had to speak tell us more. the ingredient is in - medications that you had to speak to the pharmacist to get in the first place, not something you can pick off the shelf, so the concern as it could cause a severe allergic reaction, it is a very small risk

but now it has been removed, people are advised to check any packs at home, if you have cough syrup or other medication for coughs and colds, look for that key ingredient, pholcodine, if you have it, speak to your pharmacist, there are plenty of others they can recommend. thank ou, others they can recommend. thank you. michelle _ others they can recommend. thank you, michelle roberts. _ others they can recommend. thank you, michelle roberts. it _ others they can recommend. thank you, michelle roberts. it is - others they can recommend. thank you, michelle roberts. it is the - you, michelle roberts. it is the start of one of the biggest weeks in the horse racing festival as the cheltenham festival gets under way. about 280,000 spectators are expected over the next four days the jockeys could face serious penalties including disqualification if they breach new rules on the use of the whip. our sports news correspondent, andy swiss, reports. and they're off! the first race of the day, to get through the turnstiles. but as the fans flocked in their thousands, who'll be the stars of this year's cheltenham? well once again, they may well come from ireland. whether it's trainer willie mullins, who has a host of favourites, orjockey rachael blackmore, the first female rider to win the gold cup on a plus tard,

back to defend her title. pretty cool, heading there with that on your back, i suppose, but it's trying to hold onto it now is the thing. when you get a taste of success, itjust sparks something in you and you just want to grow it, i suppose, yeah. well, the cheltenham festival is often described as the olympics ofjump racing. forthejockeys, riding here is always a challenge, but this year, how they ride is under the spotlight. rules on how many times jockeys can use the whip have been tightened, and serious breaches could mean disqualification. ultimately we wanted the jockeys to think more carefully about how they use the whip. it's not a welfare issue, it's about engagement in the sport, it's about fairness. commentator: gyenyame, for. brendan powell and joe tizzard. .. but having had just weeks to adapt, some riders feel the timing is wrong. i thought it was a bit ridiculous, to be honest. in football, in golf, they wouldn't change... they wouldn't change a big rule like that midway through their season and approaching the biggest four days

of our calendar. but the hope will be for a cheltenham free of controversy as for the next four days this quiet corner of the cotswolds becomes the centre of the racing world. in the next few minutes we should hear the famous cheltenham roar when the first race of the festival gets under way, the first race of the festival gets underway, but the first race of the festival gets under way, but the big races the champion hurdle where all eyes will be on constitution hill, a horse that has never been eaten, so it starts as the red—hot favourites, and that the showpiece event is on friday, cheltenham gold cup, where rachael blackmore and a plus tard will hope to retain their title. a small data centre the size of a washing machine is being used to heat a public swimming pool in devon. the computer system generates enough

heat to warm the pool to around 30 celsius 60% of the time. the project — which is believed to be a uk—first — is saving the council—run leisure centre thousands of pounds in energy costs, as our correspondent jenny kumah reports. this pool in exmouth is the first in the country to use a pioneering technology to heat the water and cut down on carbon emissions. and this is where the magic happens. so here it is, this is a deep green unit with the computer are immersed in oil. with the computers immersed in oil. so when you put stuff in the cloud, they could end up on a data centre like this? exactly that, yeah. so we all rely on the cloud in our everyday lives, for your online banking or doing your tesco order. the trouble is the computers in those data centres which run the cloud generate enormous amounts of heat, so data centres have to get rid of that heat somehow. most of the time that just gets thrown into the atmosphere. this system is different, where we are immersing the computers in oil and flowing that oil into a heat exchanger, to give the pool free hot water. energy costs have gone

through the roof... exmouth leisure centre says that, like business all around the country, it's had to deal with astronomical rises in its energy bills. they've gone up from 18,000 to 80,000 in a year. they say this new technology will bring them big savings. we are hoping that this will bring a significant reduction in our gas costs, maybe 50, 60%, so potentially 40, £50,000 a year of savings. we need to be doing this stuff going forward, particularly in the current climate as well and particularly, you know, with the financial strain we have, and pools shutting all over the country. it sounds excellent, it sounds excellent. j if it saves their bills, _ if it brings down their bills, fine. a really good idea, because i got very cold getting in there yesterday morning, i squealed. the governing body swim england says more than 100 pools across the country are under threat of closure or reduced services because of high running costs. the sector has welcomed today's announcement of £63 million of government funding to help. this funding is

brilliant, it's really helpful, it will allow us to look at investing in additional technology as well as the deep green technology, things such as air source heat pumps, so that we can move away from gas entirely within the pool in the next year or two. seven other pools in england have also signed up to the heating scheme used here. the company behind it feel they're offering an innovative solution that can help keep the nation's leisure centre is financially afloat. jenny kumah, bbc news, exmouth. time for a look at the weather — here's chris fawkes. what has happened to the spring? tt is not my fault, that is all i will say. much colder today, is not my fault, that is all i will say. much coldertoday, if is not my fault, that is all i will say. much colder today, if you have been outside you must have noticed the change. temperatures nine celsius lower for some of us than this time yesterday. there is some more snow to come too, this is

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