this is bbc news — welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm lisa—marie misztak. our top stories. the us federal reserve raises interest rates again — despite fears that it could add to the 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. tiktok�*s chief executive agrees to appear before the us congress as security concerns grow, about the chinese—owned video—sharing app. and 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 a quarter of a percentage point. 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. earlier, i spoke with alex horenstein, associate professor of economics, at the miami herbert business school. i began by asking him how significant the increase in interest rates were. well, i think the fed simply followed the market consensus. the market consensus was expected at 0.25 increase and that is what the fed did. unfortunately, i don't think the fed has a very good idea of what to do in this situation.

the fed and not the only economic decision—makers, including the treasury and other branches of government. the fed reserve chairman jerome powell wouldn't say what the outlook for future rate increases well. what is your assessment on what might actually happen next? 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, 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 the bank had. do you think the fed could have done more to perhaps stop the collapse of the banks? well, here is the problem, and here is what i think. the whole situation

has been mismanaged. if they were aware, they didn't do sufficient. if 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 a week ago that all depositors are safe, but she said not all deposits are safe. well, only those of a systemic bank, but what a systemic bank is? 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 more data to tell us what's going on. 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, that potentially

exists with other banks. we don't know how many banks are in problem and this is why i think that the lack of leadership and the permanent change in this discourse 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, and the stocks suffer a very large dip. borisjohnson — the former british prime minister has repeatedly denied lying to 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 or 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 and 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 if 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 3,000 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 ten 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. 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 adult is,

you know, it can have wide ranging impacts, not just 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 alright 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 can have wide—ranging impacts on people's lives and their livelihoods, but it's going to make things even worse going forward. the next stage is for the president to assent to it. he has to...hisjob, basically, is to sign it, if he agrees with the terms. either he signs it, but if he doesn't sign it and sends it back, the parliament can also vote it back in if they get a two—thirds majority and we saw yesterday, the bulk of parliamentarians were in support of this law so it's i think very likely that whether president museveni signs it or not, it's likely to go through.

stay with us on bbc world news. still to come: severe storms leave, tens of thousands of californians, under evacuation and without power. 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 world news. the latest headlines: the us federal reserve has raised interest rates again despite fears that it could add to the financial turmoil after recent bank failures. the former uk prime minister, borisjohnson, has denied lying to parliament about lockdown parties at downing street. 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 zelensky to the eastern front line where ukrainian forces have held russia at bay for more than seven months. this part of ukraine has seen the longest and bloodiest battles since the start of the invasion. zelensky thanked the soldiers for defending their country, relentlessly. and awarded them with medals. translation: i am honoured to be here today in the east i of our country, in donbas and to award our heroes, to thank you, to shake hands. thank you for protecting the state, sovereignty, the east of ukraine. a minute's silence was held to honour the memory

of those who died in the war. the timing of this visit was significant. bakhmut is a fairly small town, military experts say it's 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 flag, there is hope, you can feel it. we will do everything we can to ensure the blue and yellow colours continue their liberation movement to return normal life to our 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 in bakhmut continues, ukraine fears that russia has amassed thousands of troops in the east and is getting ready to launch a major offensive. sofia bettiza, 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 just 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 do on a day—to—day basis. i know some of you are coming to the end of your time out here, so looking forward to r and r when you get home,

but you are doing really importantjob out here, defending ourfreedoms 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. thank you. tiktok�*s ceo, shou zi chew, is expected 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. 0ur north america technology correspondent james clayton reports. hi, everyone, i'm the ceo of tiktok. tiktok�*s goes usually keeps a low profile but this week he published this tiktok ahead of a congressional hearing where he'll be grilled by us politicians. he's decided to come out fighting. in na same video he claims tiktok has 150 million users in the us n a

country where facebook is in decline, tiktok has seen exponential growth. but with that huge influence has come concern. this is the head of the fbi being quizzed earlier this month in congress. could the use this month in congress. could they use tiktok _ this month in congress. could they use tiktok to _ this month in congress. could they use tiktok to control - this month in congress. could | they use tiktok to control data on millions of users?— on millions of users? yes. could they _ on millions of users? yes. could they use _ on millions of users? yes. could they use it - on millions of users? yes. could they use it to - on millions of users? yes. | could they use it to control the software on millions of devices given the opportunity to do so? , devices given the opportunity to do so?- what's - devices given the opportunity to do so? yes. what's more concerning _ to do so? yes. what's more concerning for _ to do so? yes. what's more concerning for tiktok - to do so? yes. what's more concerning for tiktok is - to do so? yes. what's more concerning for tiktok is it i concerning for tiktok is it appears to have done the impossible — unite the democrats and republicans. i think this is going to be unchartered territory for him and it will be really interesting to see whether he sinks or swims. i think that there is a real risk that if this hearing doesn't go well, that has a massive impact on the future of tiktok. whether ou think the future of tiktok. whether you think tiktok _ the future of tiktok. whether you think tiktok is _ the future of tiktok. whether you think tiktok is a - the future of tiktok. whether you think tiktok is a security| you think tiktok is a security concern depends on who you ask. but what we do know is tiktok collects a lot of information.

by collects a lot of information. by its own admission, the company collects usage information, device information, device information, your ip address, it can collect biometric identifies and indication and information such as voice prints and face prints. some people say so what? others collect similar information. 0thers collect similar information. others say it's the link to china that is the problem. the concern is _ china that is the problem. the concern is if _ china that is the problem. the concern is if tiktok _ china that is the problem. iie: concern is if tiktok in china that is the problem. tie: concern is if tiktok in the united states is sharing personal information with its parent company in china the chinese government could potentially access —— arc this information or use it to target propaganda to specific users or other in other areas. but the problem with being in tiktok is we have not seen the chinese government accessing this information through tiktok. tiktok has found itself once again at the heart of a diplomatic battle between the us and china. when donald trump tried to ban ta app in 2020, tiktok managed to survive. three years later, it's once

again fighting for its future, and what happens today in congress may well help decide its fate. falling trees have killed two people in california as storms, winds, rain and snowfall continue to hit the western us state. stephanie prentice reports. after waves of extreme weather in california in the last few months, new before and after satellite images show the full extent of the flooding after what had been called atmospheric river storms. tens of thousands of people are without power in the central and southern ranges with evacuation warnings issued for almost 50,000 residents statewide, and 14,000 people under orders to seek higher ground because of flooding. communities here have been struggling to get back on their feet before another storm hits, it is set to get worse before it gets better. with more intense rain expected in already saturated areas. in los angeles, high winds have

torn apart industrial areas in the city of montebello, social media footage claims to show a vortex touching down into a tornado. ripping roofs off buildings and destroying cars. the national weather service says it's assessing possible tornado damage to infrastructure. the succession of pacific storms during the past three months, there has been a direct reversal of fate for a state preoccupied recently by drought and wildfire. but it's a swing in weather extremes experts say is symptomatic of human induced climate change. stephanie prentice, bbc news. the search is on for if families of one of the last world war ii veterans as preparations are made for his funeral next week. the flight sergeant never marry order had children and died alone in his flat. but there is hope some surviving relatives may be

found. this is peter brown when he was serving as a flight sergeant in the royal air force in 1945, aged 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 crew member in the afro 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. . , , london. fiercely independent, stubborn as — london. fiercely independent, stubborn as hell— london. fiercely independent, stubborn as hell but _ london. fiercely independent, stubborn as hell but a - stubborn as hell but a wonderful guy, always smiling. he was never miserable. he was sort of —— we sort of chatted about his health. he was always complaining about one thing or another but he kept going. "my knee hurts but i'll walk to the shops, gotta keep it going." peter brown had no known

relatives, now officials are searching for family members to his funeral. after peter brown came to britain, he trained as a wireless operator and air gunner and he flew in a lancaster bomb like this one when he served in 625 squadron. he was one of 450 young black men from the caribbean, africa and parts of the uk to fly with the raf during the second world war. , , , . ., , , the raf during the second world war. , ., war. they were specialists that became a _ war. they were specialists that became a tightly _ war. they were specialists that became a tightly nit _ war. they were specialists that became a tightly nit team, - became a tightly nit team, everyone's survival depending on even's ability to do their jobs. they were the best and they took only the best and the brightest. hisjob was 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. �* . would not have been able to go forward. fl .,, would not have been able to go forward. �*, .,, ., ., i. forward. it's hoped that anyone related to _ forward. it's hoped that anyone related to peter _ forward. it's hoped that anyone related to peter brown - forward. it's hoped that anyone related to peter brown or - 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 he deserves. muslims around the world are preparing to mark the start of ramadan, one of the holiest

months in the islamic calendar hundreds of workshippers in indonesia have offered evening prayers at one of the largest mosques in southeast asia, the 12 tiq lal grand mosque injakarta. for some it's their first time marking the start of the holy month at the huge venue. translation: although they do the ramadan mass prayers - are similar everywhere, i wanted to know how it is in the istiqlal grand mosque. during the covid—19 pandemic, we were not allowed to pray here, but now the regulation has been lifted and it's vibrant with a lot of people. translation: i can't describe the happiness i'm feeling - right now being here. i'm so moved. it feels like i'm - in the second mecca. that's all for you, 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 40 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.

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 0.25% despite fears it could add to the recent instability in the banking system. the former british prime minister, borisjohnson, has insisted he did not lie to the house of commons about lockdown parties at downing street. he was speaking to a cross—party group of mps, who must decide whether he deliberately or recklessly made misleading statements to parliament. the white house has urged uganda not to enact a new law threatening anyone who identifies as gay with life in prison. us officials have warned there may be economic repercussions if the bill,

which has passed a parliamentary vote,