welcome to bbc news — i'm lisa—marie misztak. our top stories: the us federal reserve raises interest rates again — despite fears that it could add to financial turmoil — after recent bank failures. the former uk prime minister, borisjohnson, denies lying t0 parliament about lockdown parties at downing street. i apologise for inadvertently misleading this house but to say that i did it recklessly or deliberately is completely untrue, as the evidence shows. uganda faces international criticism after passing a new law threatening anyone who identifies as gay, with life in prison, but many locals welcome the bill.

i was so excited about it and i really thank the parliament of uganda because they didn't let us down. as ugandans, the biggest percentage of ugandans, they don't agree with the homosexuality. concerns grow in the us about the chinese video sharing app tiktok. the search is on for the family of one of the uk's last world war two veterans — ahead of his funeral next week. the us central bank, the federal reserve, has increased interest rates by 0.25%. it's trying to balance the need to tackle inflation while protecting the financial sector. the collapse of two us banks this month were blamed in part on higher borrowing rates. the latest decision has raised fears about the health of the us financial system but the fed chairman spoke

to reassure the public. our banking system is sound and resilient, with strong capital and liquidity. we will continue to closely monitor conditions in the banking system and are prepared to use all of our tools, as needed, to keep it safe and sound. in addition, we are committed to learning the lessons from this episode and to work to prevent events like this from happening again. i'm joined now by alex horenstein, associate professor of economics, at the miami herbert business school. thank you for taking the time to come in the programme. the fed were considering a pause in the rate hikes but ultimately decided against it. how significant do you think this is? ~ ~ is? well, i think the fed siml is? well, i think the fed simply followed - is? well, i think the fed simply followed the - is? well, |thinkthe fed i simply followed the market consensus. it was a 0.25 increase and that is what the fed did stop unfortunately, i

don't think the fed has a very goodidea don't think the fed has a very good idea of what to do in this situation. the fed are not the only economic decision—makers, including the treasury and other parts of the government. the fed reserve chairmanjerome powell wouldn't say what the outlook for future rate increases well. what is your assessment on what might actually happen next was to mark my assessment is that there will probably one more increase and then we are going to see either a flat period of time or the start of a decrease, it all depends on how the financial stability situation evolves. these changes have all come in part due to the collapse of those us banks. powell noted that the fed supervisors were aware of silicon valley bank, the issues it had. the fed have done more to perhaps stop the collapse of the banks?—

the banks? well, here is the roblem the banks? well, here is the problem here _ the banks? well, here is the problem here is _ the banks? well, here is the problem here is what - the banks? well, here is the problem here is what i - the banks? well, here is the| problem here is what i think, the whole situation has been mismanaged. if it is what they did, it was insufficient. it system is resilient and it wasn't mismanaged, there is no need to say they did that, but if there is reason, there could be systemic risk, then the system is not that resilient so there are a lot of contradictions. even the treasury secretary janet yellen said, all the depositors are saying, she said not all deposits are safe. well, only those of what a systemic bank, but what is a systemic bank? i think at this stage, it will be good for the economy if the policymakers step back and try to think a little bit more of what's going on and wait for mild data. what's going on and wait for mild data-— what's going on and wait for mild data. can people feel a bit more _ mild data. can people feel a bit more confident - mild data. can people feel a bit more confident with - mild data. can people feel a| bit more confident with what

happened with the svb bank and the weaknesses that were known, does that potentially exist with another banks? definitely, the potential— with another banks? definitely, the potential exists _ with another banks? definitely, the potential exists with - with another banks? definitely, the potential exists with other i the potential exists with other banks. we don't know how many banks. we don't know how many banks are the problem. this is why i think that the lack of leadership and the permanent change about what's going on is making the markets a little bit nervous and we saw this today at the end of the market round, with the stocks suffering in a very large way. with the stocks suffering in a very large way-— with the stocks suffering in a very large way. thank you very much for _ very large way. thank you very much for your— very large way. thank you very much for your time. _ very large way. thank you very much for your time. my - much for your time. my pleasure- _ borisjohnson — the former british prime minister — has repeatedly denied lying t0 parliament about lockdown parties at downing street. he has been giving evidence to a cross—party committee of mps, which is investigating whether or not he deliberately or recklessly gave misleading assurances that all rules and guidance had been followed. here's some of what he had to say.

your first concern is that i may have knowingly and recklessly deceived parliament when i said the rules were not broken and the guidance had completely been followed at number 10. when i said those words, i was not trying to cover up or conceal anything. i said what i said in good faith based on what i honestly knew and reasonably believed at the time. that belief, what was in my head, was based on my understanding of the rules and the guidance. that did not mean that i believed that social distancing was complied with perfectly. that is because i am others in the building did not believe it was necessary or possible to have a 2—metre, or i— metre afterjune 2a, 2020, electrified force field around every human being. indeed, that is emphatically not what the guidance

prescribes. 0ur political editor chris mason has the latest. from westminster. there is an old adage in politics that if you are explaining, you are losing, and borisjohnson had to do a lot of explaining today, a lot of explaining about his record in government, his relationship with the truth. all of those issues that were kicked around a year or so ago, dredged back up for all to see. there was the spectacle in that hearing of conservative mps scrutinising a fellow conservative mp while other conservative mps, allies of mr johnson, were heckling the questioner. a reminder of the insurrection, the civil war that was prompted within the conservative party by boris johnson's downfall and the chaos that followed. for the committee, they now have to go away and work out of mrjohnson recklessly misled parliament or intentionally misled parliament. proving intent, proving he lied as always, was always going to be a higher bar but recklessness is much more

subjective and they are both labels the borisjohnson will be desperate to avoid. let's get some of the day's other news. the uk parliament have voted in favour of a key part of a new agreement for implementing post brexit trading arrangements for northern ireland. 29 mps voted against it, including members of northern ireland's democratic unionist party and several high profile mps from the governing conservative party. the pakistani opposition leader, imran khan, has accused the country's election commission of violating the constitution by postponing elections in punjab province. they are expected to take place next month. earlier the commission said it was delaying the vote for the provincial assembly in punjab until october. 25 people have been injured when a ship tipped over in a dry dock in edinburgh's portarea. the 3000 tonne vessel

was dislodged by strong winds. the ship is owned by the us navy after they bought it from the joint founder of microsoft paul allen last year the us secretary of state antony blinken has called on uganda's government to reconsider anti—lgbt draft legislation passed by parliament. under the bill, anyone identifying as lgbt could face up to 10 years in prison. the bill still needs to be signed by president yoweri museveni. human rights watch says — if it becomes law — it will be the first anywhere to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. the bbc�*s patience atu—hair—ay reports from kampala. this gay man in his early 20s says that he is afraid for his life. he spoke to the bbc on condition that his identity is kept hidden and says that he has already faced online attacks and was outed to his family.

translation: they even took the information to my mother, so my mum was very mad at me and called saying, "you're gay? "i never want you back in my life. "never even come near my other children. "you are no longer my child." the newly passed bill will see anyone who is convicted of grooming or trafficking children for purposes of engaging them in homosexual activities face life in prison. but it includes even tougher penalties. a clause titled aggravated homosexuality now stipulates the death penalty in cases where somebody has sex with a minor, a disabled person, or in cases where the victim gets infected with a lifelong disease as a result of the assault. this is the first time in decades in uganda that the death sentence has been included in a new law. 0rdinary ugandans have been reacting to the passing of the law. i am over the moon, very happy, because as ugandans, the biggest percentage

of ugandans, they don't agree with the homosexuality. i don't wish our kids to face that, like, ladies sleeping with ladies. i was so excited about it and i really thank the parliament of uganda because they didn't let us down. activists have said that the anti—homosexuality bill may have far—reaching consequences for ugandans in general. there's no reason why we should have a bill that criminalises individuals that are having consensual same—sex adult relationships. all ugandans should be really scared of this bill because it will not just affect suspected lgbt individuals or people who are actually lgbt, it can affect anyone. you know, anyone can accuse anyone of touching with the intent to commit homosexuality. anyone can accuse anyone of promotion of homosexuality. government representatives in parliament gave the bill overwhelming support, but it will have to be signed by president yoweri museveni before it can officially become law. patience atuhaire,

bbc news, kampala. 0ryem nyeko is a researcher at the human rights watch africa division and says it's a worrying time. the idea, the notion that somebody should go to prison because they've had consensual sex with somebody who is an aduu sex with somebody who is an adult is, you know, it can have wide ranging impacts, notjust the fact that it's now going to be a criminal offence but the fact that what it is essentially doing is endorsing homophobia. the government would say that it's all right to discriminate against people because you think that they are homosexual, because you think that they are having sex with somebody of the same sex and we have seen in the past, that i can have wide ranging impacts on people's lives and livelihoods, but it's going to make things even worse going forward. the next stage is for

the president to assent to it. hisjob basically is the president to assent to it. his job basically is to sign it, if he agrees with the terms. if he doesn't sign it and sends it back, the parliament can also voted back in if they get a two—thirds majority and we saw yesterday, the bulk of parliamentarians were in support of this so i think it is very likely that when president museveni assents to it, it is likely to go through. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: how some of the millions of muslims around the world are preparing for the start of ramadan, one of the holiest months in the islamic calendar. applause i'm so proud of both of you. let there be no more wars or bloodshed between arabs and israelis.

with great regret, - the committee has decided that south africa will be excludedl from the 1970 competition. chanting streaking across the sky, the white—hot wreckage from mir drew gasps from onlookers on fiji. this is bbc news. the latest headlines. the us federal reserve has raised interest rates again despite fears that it could add to financial turmoil

after recent bank failures. the former uk prime minister, borisjohnson, has denied lying to parliament about lockdown parties at downing street. tiktok�*s ceo, is expected shou zi chew, to give testimony in the us congress for the first time on thursday over security concerns. mr chew is likely to face a barrage of questions on tiktok�*s relationship with china, what data it collects, and what it does with it. he will reportedly appear before the us house of representatives energy and commerce committee, as lawmakers scrutinize the chinese—owned video—sharing app. i'm joined now by ivan tsarynny. he is the ceo & co—founder of feroot, a cybersecurity firm, from toronto. thank you for taking the time to come on the programme. how significant is this congresional hearing and the message it

sends to the public? for this to reach the congressional hearing, it's absolutely significant because they don't hold this kind of hearing unless there is a pressure and something at stake and it's really oughtn�*t, so that's how we know it is significant.— that's how we know it is siunificant. ~ , significant. whose interest would a band _ significant. whose interest would a band truly - significant. whose interest would a band truly be - significant. whose interest would a band truly be and| significant. whose interest- would a band truly be and given the amount you actually use the, it is in the tens of millions across the united states? i millions across the united states? ., ., ., states? i am not a political erson states? i am not a political person but _ states? i am not a political person but this _ states? i am not a political person but this is - states? i am not a political| person but this is definitely in the national security issue, specifically citizen's data is a national security issue in my mind, for example our study found even some cyber security companies were not aware of the fact the data was leaking out to china, doesn't mean the date is being used for nefarious purposes but we also don't know

that isn't it is not being used for those purposes, for example the wall streetjournal independently verified the data we found for example that tiktok and other structures present on government websites that were collecting sensitive information there. mil information there. all countries _ information there. all countries have - information there. all countries have expressed concerns about that, notjust the us, across and the uk about government devices, but there is no actual credible evidence so far, is there?— so far, is there? plenty of normal — so far, is there? plenty of normal reasons _ so far, is there? plenty of normal reasons to - so far, is there? plenty of normal reasons to have i so far, is there? plenty of- normal reasons to have those kind of trackers with it is from tiktok or bytedance or mesa or many other countries that are doing very similar collections, from my perspective, when it comes to concerns, they like the mini

spy concerns, they like the mini spy balloons that was shot out of the sky by the us air force a few weeks ago, pixels and trackers are like the mini spy balloons once they are converted to websites that we used to a day to day basis, they can act like backdoors, that remain open and they can be collecting medical data or other sensitive information. so does come as a concern, not just for nefarious purposes but many other implications that those pixels and trackers can cause. ., ., ,., those pixels and trackers can cause. ., ., ., cause. you mention some of those pixels _ cause. you mention some of those pixels and _ cause. you mention some of those pixels and trackers - cause. you mention some of| those pixels and trackers and the concerns, tiktok not the only app can collect a specific data, other apps do the same thing, can you explain more about apps might be collecting? like i mentioned, tiktok is just one of many we found during the study and the

research google, media, microsoft, adobe and many other companies being present and sometimes collecting the same sensitive information. what kind of does that send out in an eye—opening moment for all of us, many people including congressional members, were not aware that those kind of tools what company are represented by, they will have your data, they can have your data whether you ever had a tiktok app or facebook app, you never even catch them. facebook app, you never even catch them-— facebook app, you never even catch them. . ~' ,, , . catch them. thank you very much for our catch them. thank you very much for your insights. _ on wednesday, president zelensky visited military positions near the frontline town of bakhmut, in eastern ukraine. the devastated city has long

been a focal point of the war as russian forces try to revive their military campaign in the east. his visit came as russian forces launched a series of strikes on ukrainian cities. sofia bettiza reports. a surprise visit from president zelenskiy to the eastern frontline where ukrainian forces of hell brush at bay for more than seven months. this part of ukraine has seen the longest and bloodiest battles since the start of the invasion. he thanked the soldiers for defending their country, relentlessly. and awarded them with medals. translation: i am awarded them with medals. translation: iam honoured awarded them with medals. translation: i am honoured to be here today in the east of our country, and on bass and to award our heroes, to thank you and to shake hands, thank you for protecting the state, sovereignty, the east of ukraine. pl. sovereignty, the east of ukraine-— sovereignty, the east of ukraine. ., , .

ukraine. a minute of silence was held _ ukraine. a minute of silence was held to _ ukraine. a minute of silence was held to honour- ukraine. a minute of silence was held to honour the - ukraine. a minute of silence . was held to honour the memory of those who died. the was held to honour the memory of those who died.— of those who died. the timing of those who died. the timing of this visit _ of those who died. the timing of this visit was _ of those who died. the timing of this visit was significant. i of this visit was significant. bakhmut is a fairly small town, military experts say it is not strategically important to the outcome of the war. but president putin has sacrificed so many troops to try to capture it, and ukraine has deployed so many soldiers to defend it, that it has become politically crucial. and an emblem of ukrainian resistance. translation: in all areas of the east of our country where there is a ukrainian flat, there is a ukrainian flat, there is a ukrainian flat, there is hope, you can feel it. we will do everything we can to make sure the blue and yellow colours continue their liberation movement to return normal life entire land. zelensky�*s visit came as russian forces launched a series of strikes on ukrainian

cities. several people were killed near kyiv and zaporizhzhia. and, as fighting and bakhmut continues, ukraine fears that russia has amassed thousands of troops in the east and is getting ready to launch and is getting ready to launch a major answer. and is getting ready to launch a majoranswer. —— and is getting ready to launch a major answer. —— offensive. sofia bettiz, bbc news. prince william will meet ukrainian refugees in poland on thursday on the second day of his visit to the country. earlier, the prince of wales thanked british troops in a trip to a military base in poland near the ukraine border. his visit was kept secret until he left the area, because of security concerns. i want to come here in person to say thank you for all you are doing, keeping everyone safe out here, and keeping an eye on what's going on. a big thank you for what you are doing on a day—to—day basis, some of you are coming to the end of your time out here looking forward to r and r when you get home, defending our

freedom is important and everyone at home is very supportive of everything you are doing with the polish and counterparts in providing that safety is really important. thank you for your time, lovely to meet you all, and good luck. the search is on for the family of one of the uk's last world war two veterans as preparations are made for his funeral next week. he died alone in his flat. flight sergeant peter brown was born injamaica. he never married and had no children. but there is hope some surviving relatives may be found. helena wilkinson has the story. this is peter brown when he was serving as a flight sergeant in the royal air force in 1945. age 17, it's thought the young jamaican had travelled thousands of miles so he could volunteer to fly and fight in world war ii. after training, he flew as a crewmember in the avro lancaster, britain's famous strategic bomber that was used as the raf�*s main weapon

against targets in germany. in december, the air force veteran died alone in his flat in west london. fiercely independent, stubborn as hell, but a wonderful guy, always smiling. he was never miserable. we chatted about his health. he was always complaining about one thing or another, but he kept going. he said, "my knee hurts, but i've got to walk to "the shops, got to keep it going." peter brown had no known relatives. now officials are searching forfamily members to attend his funeral. after peter brown came to britain, he trained as a wireless operator and air gunner, and he flew in a lancaster bomber like this one when he served in 625 squadron. he was one of a50 young black men from the caribbean, africa and parts of the uk to fly with the raf during the second world war. they were specialists that became a tightly knit team.

everyone's survival depended on everyone's abilities to do theirjobs. they were the best and the brightest. they took only the best and the brightest. his job was one of that team. without him, they would not have been able to go forward. it is hoped that anyone related to peter brown or anyone who knew him will get in touch ahead of his funeral next week, so he can be given the very best send—off he deserves. helena wilkinson, bbc news. muslims around the world are preparing to mark the start of ramadan, one of the holiest months in the islamic calendar. hundreds of worshippers in indonesia have offered evening prayers at one of the largest mosques in southeast asia, the istiqlal grand mosque injakarta. for some, it's their first time marking the start of the holy month at the huge venue. shoppers have also been visiting dubai's souqs for traditional sweets and spices, with the historic markets adorned with ramadan

lights and decorations. that's all for now, thanks for your company. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @lmmisztak. hello there. the weather is remaining pretty unsettled for the rest of this week. low pressure will always be nearby, out to the west of the uk, in the atlantic — steering weather fronts our way, bringing outbreaks of rain, followed by sunshine and showers. and it will be blustery, even windy at times, particularly across england and wales. but on the plus side, it'll be fairly mild, with our air source coming in from the south—west. but it's quite a messy picture, i think, as you can see here for thursday, low pressure out to the west, lots of isobars, plenty of weather fronts. this weather front will bring more persistent rain to the south and south—east of the country later in the day. so we'll have showers, even longer spells of rain affecting central, northern and western areas. some good spells of sunshine around, too. but later in the day, we'll see the cloud building up across the south and south—east as this persistent rain

starts to push in. it will be a blustery day, certainly for england, wales, parts of northern ireland, not so much for scotland. a quieter day for you, but gusts around a0 miles an hour in exposure. but another mild day to come, temperatures reaching the low to mid—teens for many. a little bit chilly there for the far north of scotland. that rain, then, persistent at times, affects the south—east corner and then pushes on into the north sea. that'll be followed by further showers, even longer spells of rain, across scotland, in towards northern ireland for a time, but some clear spells, too. and temperatures, again, fairly mild because of the cloud, the breeze, the rain. no lower than around 5—8 degrees. now into friday, our area of low pressure is a bit closer to the uk, so it looks like we'll start off with some sunshine, fairly breezy, but then showers will get going. they'll be widespread and they will be heavy at times, some thunderstorms mixed in, some hail at times too. but again, temperatures low to mid—teens for many. it will feel quite pleasant when you're out of the showers

and in the sunshine. then it's all change into the weekend. we start to pick up northerly winds. that'll turn things very much colder. and we'll see showers turning increasingly wintry, particularly across the northern half of the country. you can see the arctic air plunging its way southwards gradually as we move through the weekend. the coldness of the air initially at the weekend across the north and then spreading to all areas by the time we reach sunday. so another mild day on saturday with sunshine and showers. by the time we reach sunday, it'll be very much colder, particularly in the north — where we could see some snow, notjust in the hills, even down to lower levels.

brilliant, this is bbc news — the headlines: us stock markets have fallen after the central bank imposed a futher rise in interest rates. the federal reserve increased its key lending rate by a quarter of a percent — despite fears it could add to the recent instability in the banking system. the former uk prime minister, borisjohnson has denied lying to parliament about lockdown parties at downing street. uganda faces international criticism after passing a new law threatening anyone who identifies as gay the white house has urged uganda not to enact a new law

threatening anyone who identifies as gay, with life in prison.