this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm geeta guru—murthy. our top stories: the bank of england is expected to increase interest rates for an eleventh consecutive time, following an unexpected jump in inflation in the uk. the french president defends his decision to push through unpopular pension reforms, as another day of strikes and protests begins across the country. on the frontline in southern ukraine, where troops loyal to kyiv are holding their defences, despite constant attacks from russian shelling. those two russian shells that have come in, i think it's tank fire, and i think being very close to these positions gives you an idea how exposed it is here.

and the world's first sd—printed rocket, makes it off the launch pad, but fails to reach orbit. hello and welcome to bbc news. millions of homeowners in the uk are bracing themselves for what would be the eleventh successive rise in interest rates since december 2021. the rate rise is anticipated because of higher—than—expected inflation figures, and a decision yesterday by the federal reserve — the central bank of the united states — to increase its key lending rate by a quarter of a per cent. we'll look at what an interest rate rise by the bank of england will mean for people in the uk in a moment. first, to the us and our business correspondent in washington, michelle fleury. the us federal reserve said the us banking system remains sound and resilient,

even as it warned that the sector's troubles could drag down economic growth. america's central bank raised its federal funds rate, which affects many consumer and business loans, to a range 4.5 and 5%. jay powell said policymakers did consider a pause in the interest rate hiking campaign, in light of the banking turmoil, but the consensus for an increase was stronger. before the recent events, we were clearly _ before the recent events, we were clearly on — before the recent events, we were clearly on track to continue with ongoing — clearly on track to continue with ongoing rate hikes. in fact, as of a couple _ ongoing rate hikes. in fact, as of a couple of— ongoing rate hikes. in fact, as of a couple of weeks ago, it looks like we would — couple of weeks ago, it looks like we would need to raise rates over the course — we would need to raise rates over the course of the year more than we had expected at the time in december, at the time of the december, at the time of the december meeting. we are committed to restoring _ december meeting. we are committed to restoring price stability and all of the _ to restoring price stability and all of the evidence is that the public has confidence that we will do so. his comments underscore the dilemma facing policymakers. how to fight inflation while simultaneously

restoring financial stability. still, the fed signalled that turmoil in the banking sector might end its rate rise campaigns sooner than had seemed possiblejust end its rate rise campaigns sooner than had seemed possible just a few weeks ago. so does that mean a soft landing is off the table? where the economy slows down just enough to bring down prices, without causing a recession. fed chairjay powell said it was too early to say. recession. fed chairjay powell said it was too early to say.— it was too early to say. michelle fleu . and in the uk, the bank of england faces a tricky balancing, as last month, it predicted that the rate at which prices are rising had peaked. but yesterday, we learned that inflation unexpectedly rose to 10.4% in february, a near ao—year high. the spike was driven by soaring food prices, which are still rising faster than at any time in the last 45 years. it means the uk has the highest inflation of all the major economies in the g7 — the only one still in double figures. the bank is due to announce a decision on interest rates at midday today. the current base rate is at four

percent and it's gone up ten times in a row since december 2021. higher interest rates could mean yet higher mortgage rates, rents, and more cost to pay off debt such as loans and credit cards. hannah miller visited a factory in the west midlands to find out if staff there are concerned. at this chemical factory in west bromwich, interest rates affect what many staff can afford. so, we've got reactors all down here, we've got 1—4. and people like sam are waiting to see how the bank of england reacts, as the cost of living continues to rise. it's a bad thing for anybody trying to get on the property ladder. interest rates going up, i suppose it benefits those with all the savings. but for most young people sort of starting out in life, it seems to hit us the most. it is very difficult. we have to cut down on the way we live. we can't go out as much as we used to. we can't have as many takeaways.

we can't go to the attractions and whatever that we used to. it's definitely a hit on our quality of life. by putting household budgets under even more pressure, the bank of england believes raising interest rates can bring prices down. but for people like melissa, who is already in debt, it could make paying that off even more expensive. obviously, i have an overdraft. that is what i reach now into every month. i discuss it with my partner regularly. how are we going to get out of this rut? ijust cycling around debt. how would you feel if interest rates do go up again? it's just prolonging that cycle. yeah, i... but also, at this point, i wouldn't be shocked, because there is nothing out there giving me hope. to go up again would just... just another slap in the face, really. her colleague aiden is more helpful.

her colleague aiden is more hopeful. it will definitely come to an end. the question more is when it will come to an end. - i am quite hopeful that right now, it's at its worst and i think it - will definitely get better. it's just a matter of when, really. today, the focus will be on how to balance people's different needs as the bank of england works out how best to bring down prices without eroding the economy further. let's get more on this, then. ukraine now. in ukraine's eastern donbas region, the ukrainian army continues to lose ground to russian forces in and around bakhmut. but further south, it's a different story, continuing attacks by russian tanks and armoured vehicles have resulted in heavy losses for moscow's forces with almost nothing to show for it. months of battles have turned the countryside and the town of velyka novosilka into a wasteland, where civilians and the military come under daily russian bombardment. our correspondent quentin sommerville and camera journalist darren conway have sent this report, which you can see in full on bbc news and on our website later today.

missile whistles past, explosion this is dima's daily duty. for months, the 1st separate tank brigade have been under russian attack, but they've barely given the enemy an inch of ukrainian soil. darren: this way, come on, run! run! straight to me. open ground here is the enemy's friend. come on. this way. there are spotter drones above. russian eyes are always watching... down, down, down, down. ..and waiting for movement. get in, get down. quentin pants heavily those two russian shells that have just come in, i think it's tank fire very close to these positions, and that gives you an idea of how exposed it is here. there's absolutely no tree cover.

the safest place for these men is in the trenches. they've already taken a couple of casualties here in the last week. panting heavily are you all right? keep down. the bombardments never stop. missile whistles past, explosion quentin somerville and darren conway with that report. french president emmanuel macron has defended his decision to push through an unpopular reform to the pension system, despite a wave of protests across the country. this footage is of protests in toulouse this morning, where demonstrators have set fire to bins and tyres in

order to block the road. in a television interview on wednesday, president macron said pushing up the pension age from 62 to 64 was a necessity, in order to protect the system for future generations. translation: there aren't a hundred solutions if we want the pensions - system to be balanced. it no longer is. and the more we wait, the more it will get worse. and so, this reform is necessary. and i say this to the french people — i don't enjoy doing this, i would have preferred not to do this, but it is also because of a sense of responsibility. i'm joined now by randja kanouni, an elected cgt union member. thank you forjoining us. why are feeling so strong about this issue? isn't it an obvious necessity that is all countries are facing ageing populations, many governments are pushing up the pension age? weill. pushing up the pension age? well, actuall , it pushing up the pension age? well, actually. it is _ pushing up the pension age? well, actually, it is not, _ pushing up the pension age? well, actually, it is not, it _ pushing up the pension age? well, actually, it is not, it is _ pushing up the pension age? well, actually, it is not, it is an - actually, it is not, it is an opinion. but we have a different one. we believe that if we share the

wealth that the workers produce better, meaning that we give less money for high profits to big companies and more money to finance our pension system, we can totally afford to have a pension system where we can retire at 62 and we can even retire at 60. because that is what we want. if we improve salaries, we raise salaries, we pay womenjust as much salaries, we raise salaries, we pay women just as much as men and we will have the funds to finance everything we want. but will have the funds to finance everything we want.- will have the funds to finance everything we want. but of course, around the — everything we want. but of course, around the world, _ everything we want. but of course, around the world, that _ everything we want. but of course, around the world, that is _ everything we want. but of course, around the world, that is not - everything we want. but of course, around the world, that is not the l around the world, that is not the view of many governments and president macron has been elected. this is unfair civil disobedience isn't it, in a way?— isn't it, in a way? well, he has been elected. _ isn't it, in a way? well, he has been elected. but _ isn't it, in a way? well, he has been elected. but unions, - isn't it, in a way? well, he has been elected. but unions, wel isn't it, in a way? well, he has. been elected. but unions, we are elected also by workers so we also are legitimate to speak. and the more people think about it, the more they are against it. the mobilisation is widening, it is spreading, you have even a third of the right—wing mps who voted against

this government and this reform. so he has no majority today in the country, even though he was elected a year ago. country, even though he was elected a ear auo. ., country, even though he was elected a earauo. ., ., ., a year ago. how far are you willing to no with a year ago. how far are you willing to go with these _ a year ago. how far are you willing to go with these protests - a year ago. how far are you willing to go with these protests and - a year ago. how far are you willing to go with these protests and for. to go with these protests and for how long? to go with these protests and for how lona ? ~ ., ., to go with these protests and for how lon? ~ ., ., how long? well, we will go for as lona as it how long? well, we will go for as long as it takes _ how long? well, we will go for as long as it takes to _ how long? well, we will go for as long as it takes to have _ how long? well, we will go for as long as it takes to have this - how long? well, we will go for as i long as it takes to have this reform withdrawn. we are ready to block the economy, to cripple it if it is what is needed. we are having a blocking actions, peaceful but blocking actions, peaceful but blocking action is everywhere around the country. and that is how far we are willing to go. is country. and that is how far we are willing to 90-— willing to go. is this really the riaht willing to go. is this really the right thing _ willing to go. is this really the right thing to _ willing to go. is this really the right thing to do _ willing to go. is this really the right thing to do at _ willing to go. is this really the right thing to do at a - willing to go. is this really the right thing to do at a time - willing to go. is this really the i right thing to do at a time when willing to go. is this really the - right thing to do at a time when all countries are suffering the impacts of the pandemic, of the war in ukraine? many would say, look, this reluctance to work beyond the age of 60 or 62 is really a very retrospective way of looking at the world because even when you go on to a pension you earn less than you would when you were still employed. well, the exact opposite is true. we

have a climate crisis. just yesterday, internationally, the un said, ok, we have to stop behaving like we are, we have to stop producing as much, we have to stop using resources as if it was infinite. we have to slow down, we have to work less and to have a better life quality for our sake as humans and also for the planet. so no, i think we are right about the future and the society that people want to. we want to work less, but to work better. to share the wealth better and to take better care of our environment. and for that, we need to slow down. so no, we don't think we are wrong. we think those governments who want us to continue using resources and this way of life, they are the ones who are wrong. and the more and more people think of it, the more and more they agree with this idea.— think of it, the more and more they agree with this idea. rand'a kanouni from the cer—

agree with this idea. rand'a kanouni from the cgt union, h agree with this idea. randja kanouni from the cgt union, thank _ agree with this idea. randja kanouni from the cgt union, thank you - agree with this idea. randja kanouni from the cgt union, thank you very l from the cgt union, thank you very much. . ~ from the cgt union, thank you very much. ., ,, i. a 28—year—old man will appear in court today charged with the attempted murders of two men who were set on fire after leaving mosques. mohammed abbkr will appear at birmingham magistrates�* court charged with an attack in edgbaston three days ago and an incident in ealing, west london, last month. he's alleged to have sprayed a substance on the men, before setting them alight. borisjohnson's political future hangs in the balance, after he was questioned by mps investigating whether he misled parliament over lockdown parties in downing street. during a three—hour session, the former—prime minister repeatedly denied lying to the commons about events in number 10, and insisted that he believed at the time the gatherings were necessary for work purposes. our political correspondent helen catt reports. i swear by almighty god that the evidence i shall give before this committee shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. it is rare for an mp to have to swear on the bible before giving evidence in parliament. but this was, after all,

a hearing about truth — mrjohnson adamant he'd told it. i'm here to say to you, hand on heart, that i did not lie to the house. for around three hours, mps on the privileges committee questioned mrjohnson about why he had told the commons that covid guidance had not been broken in downing street. they showed him photographs like this one, of a leaving do in november 2020, which they said suggested he himself had seen guidance being broken. the guidance does not say you can have a thank—you party and as many people in the room as you like, if you think it's very important to thank people. the guidance doesn't say that. i accept that not everybody is perfectly socially distanced in that picture, but that did not mean to me, when i stood up in the house of commons and said that the guidance was followed completely, i was not thinking of that event and thinking that somehow,

that contravened the guidance. absolutely not. we were making a huge effort to follow the guidance. mrjohnson also said that he would believe until the day he died that it had been his job to thank staff, and gatherings to do so had been essential. would you have advised anyone else in the country, _ if they'd asked you at one of the press conferences i at that time, to have a large social gathering in their garden? - it was not a large social gathering. it was a gathering intended... and i really must insist on this point. people who say that we were partying in lockdown simply do not know what they are talking about. people who say that that event was a purely social gathering are quite wrong. those around mrjohnson believe the hearing went well. well, i thought he gave a very robust defence of himself, actually. i thought he addressed the points very well. i think we also need to remember this is not a reinvestigation of partygate. really, the committee is talking about parliamentary procedure,

whether that's been followed or not, and whether the accounts that he had given are correct. mrjohnson's critics took a different view. i got the impression by the end that he knows perfectly well. that the rules weren't followed. he's always known that the rules weren't perfectly followed, - and he's always sort i of tried to cover it up. it will be for the committee to decide if it thinks mrjohnson committed a contempt, and if it was inadvertent, reckless or deliberate. their report is not expected until late spring or early summer. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. and while that hearing was going on in parliament yesterday, the current prime minister rishi sunak chose that exact time in the afternoon to release his tax returns. records show he paid over £1 million in uk tax since 2019 on earnings of more than £4] million. calls for transparency about his finances came after it emerged his wife, akshata murty, had non—dom status. i spoke with our chief political correspondent nick eardley about the timing of the release. what was it about half four

yesterday afternoon that attracted number ten to drop that information? look, i mean, we've been promised it for weeks and it came on a very busy news day at westminster, which i think cynics would suggest number ten was hoping it didn't become a big news item. it's interesting, we know that rishi sunak is extremely wealthy. he earned, as a mixture of income and capital gains, just under £5 million in a three—year period. he paid over £1 million in tax in that period as well. there is a political question being asked by some in the labour party about whether it's fair that capital gains tax is so much lower as a rate than income tax, which meant that overall, mr sunak was paying about 22% on his combined income and capital gains. that may well be a question that keir starmer is asked about later today, when he does a press conference. but, yes, the timing certainly, geeta, one of the busiest days

in the westminster calendar this year, doesn't sound like it was an accident. nick eardley. the world's first 3d—printed rocket has made it off a launch pad in a misison nicknamed good luck, have fun. relativity space's terran 1 booster lifted off in florida's space force station but, within minutes, mission controllers reported that it was having problems with its top section that prevented it from igniting fully and successfully reaching orbit. the californian team who made it say they have now gathered enough data to show that 3d—printed rockets can be viable in future. eu leaders meet in brussels this morning for the first day of their summit. the focus will be on the economy, with leaders gearing up to discuss how the eu can best provide high—qualityjobs, as the bloc faces the need to decarbonise. european leaders will also discuss the war that russia's waging on ukraine. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy willjoin the european leaders virtually for a discussion

on support for kyiv. i'm joined now byjessica parker. who's in brussels. what is the main focus today? well, to be honest. _ what is the main focus today? well, to be honest, the _ what is the main focus today? well, to be honest, the summits - what is the main focus today? in to be honest, the summits likely lacks focus, going to briefings yesterday, talking to different member states, diplomats as well. often when these summits happen, there is something quite central on there is something quite central on the agenda that everyone agrees is the agenda that everyone agrees is the main focus. or maybe even a quarrel or a row hanging over the entire thing and there are a couple of corals or rows, but maybe not dominating proceedings too much, so it is a bit of an everything summit. as you say, president zelensky will be dialling in via video conference, not unusual for the ukrainian president to do that, it has almost become something of a routine thing at these european council summits, although he was here recently in brussels for a historic visit. the most significant thing in terms of ukraine is this deal on ammunition. so the eu is going to try and

provide a million rounds of artillery to ukraine within the next 12 months. that was sort of signed off early in the week by foreign ministers, but eu leaders will give at the final sign off today. but there is a question as to how they will do this because it is notjust about using existing stocks. the eu, we know countries in the west really are trying to ramp up their industrial base in terms of defence manufacturing and there is a question and a bit of attention as to whether the eu can source these things from eu manufacturers or whether they might have to look elsewhere to the united kingdom or to the united states as well. find to the united states as well. and the eu's continued support for ukraine is one of the factors that has contributed to the economic difficulties that many are seeing. we saw inflation higher—than—expected in the uk yesterday. will there be any discussion about the banking jitters and what concerns they might have, what actions they might have? we saw

a very concerted action in recent days from the eu and us leaders. yes, i think that will be more on the agenda tomorrow. because the head of the european central bank christine lagarde is going to be in town for a special discussion. a bit aside from the eu summit tomorrow morning, so i am sure they will touch on those topics. but for today, they are talking about the single market, looking at how to make it more competitive. i think there's a feeling among some countries that they focus a lot and really making a deep single market for goods, but there is more they could do in terms of digital and services. and i mentioned at the beginning there is a bit of a quarrel or two going on. one of thoseis quarrel or two going on. one of those is between the two leading economies in the european union, germany and france. germany has raised our and cause irritation by leading an alliance essentially to put in a last—minute block on plans to block the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, it once an

exemption for something known as e fuels, a synthetic net zero type of fuel. this is caused irritation because of the last—minute nature of germany doing this. germany is well has an extremely powerful car industry and car lobby. but berlin is irritated as paris tries to promote nuclear power within green energy plans. nuclear power very much dominant and france. so there are rows going on there. i am not sure it will get resolved at this european council summit. but i think it is certainly probably likely to be discussed at the very least in the margins. be discussed at the very least in the margin— the margins. jessica parker -- jessica parker _ the margins. jessica parker -- jessica parker in _ the margins. jessica parker -- jessica parker in brussels, - the margins. jessica parker -- l jessica parker in brussels, thank you very much. 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 lgbtq could face up to ten years in prison. 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 atuhaire 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. 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. ordinary 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 criminalizes - 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. the head of the social media app tiktok is expected to give evidence to the us congress today over security concerns. shou zi chew is likely to face a barrage of questions on tiktok�*s relationship with the chinese state, what data it collects and what it does with it. our north america technology correspondent james clayton has more. hi, everyone! it's shou here, i'm the ceo of tiktok. tiktok�*s boss 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 that same video, he claims that tiktok has 150 million users in the us. in 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 they use tiktok to control data on millions of users? er, yes. could they use it to control the software on millions of devices, given the opportunity to do so? yes. what's even more concerning for tiktok is, it appears to have done the impossible — unite the democrats and the republicans. i think that this is going to be uncharted territory for him, and it will be really, 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 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 its own admission, the company collects usage information, device information, your ip address. it can even collect biometric identifiers and biometric information, such as face prints and voice prints. some say, so what? instagram collects similar information. others, though, say it's the link to china that's the problem. the concern is that if tiktok in the united states is sharing personal information with its parent company in china, that the chinese government could potentially either access this personal information or use it to target propaganda to specific users, or in other potentially nefarious ways. but the problem with banning tiktok is we have not actually seen evidence of 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 the 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. james clayton, bbc news. i'm joined now by our cyber reporter, joe tidy. do we know exactly any more about what sort of information is collected if you have tiktok on your phone and where that information goes? phone and where that information noes? ~ , ~ phone and where that information .oes? . , ~' g ., , phone and where that information noes? , ,, , goes? well, it is like james said in the report- — goes? well, it is like james said in the report- the — goes? well, it is like james said in the report. the usual— goes? well, it is like james said in the report. the usualthings - goes? well, it is like james said in the report. the usualthings really| the report. the usual things really that social media apps gather on us. and these apps are extremely hungry for our personal data. so your gps location, your contacts, the messages between you and other people. it is what you are liking, what you are subscribing to. and it even keeps details on for example how long you look at a video before

you click through, that is how the algorithm has become so popular and so powerful because that is one of the reasons tiktok is so successful, it has an extremely powerful algorithm that can serve you things you are really interested in and it hones its ability to know what you like and what you dislike, but it has to be said that this is largely in line with what other social networks to collect on us. the point bein: , networks to collect on us. the point being. though. _ networks to collect on us. the point being. though. is — networks to collect on us. the point being, though, is this _ networks to collect on us. the point being, though, is this all— networks to collect on us. the point being, though, is this all going - networks to collect on us. the point being, though, is this all going to l being, though, is this all going to the chinese government, this information, which obviously would be concerning to many people? yes, thatis be concerning to many people? yes, that is the worry. do we know the answer to that is that happening? well, we don't know for sure and all evidence points toward it not happening. this seems to be a theoretical risk. tiktok is the first non—us company to go mainstream, it is absolutely enormous, it has about 3.5 million downloads at this stage, it is on track to be on level with facebook or instagram very soon. and the worry is this is the first time that data being collected by a giant

social network is not in the us. tiktok also all the us data is being stored and collected and processed on us servers, that has been the case now for a little while. it has hired carmack oracle, a well—known us giant of cloud computing, to be the custodian of that data —— has hired oracle. but there have been known examples and admitted examples of beijing —based staff for tiktok accessing us data. for example, last year, it was revealed us and uk reporters were spied upon to in effect to try and find out whether they were talking to people and leaking information about tiktok. that is of course a horrendous breach of data trust and the company has admitted to it and it has sacked those people involved, but there is no evidence at this stage that the chinese government is accessing us data through tiktok, that is the theoretical risk and it says all along, and this is what they expect

the ceo today to say, that they haven't done it and if they were asked to do that, they wouldn't do it. but it is a case of trust and i think the ceo is up against it today to try and prove otherwise. exactly, can he prove _ to try and prove otherwise. exactly, can he prove that _ to try and prove otherwise. exactly, can he prove that the _ to try and prove otherwise. exactly, can he prove that the chinese - can he prove that the chinese government is not accessing it and is the west not rather late to this, having allowed millions of people to put tiktok on their smartphones? yes, i mean, we have gone back in time, haven't we? it was 2020 when donald trump tried to ban tiktok because of the same fears. nothing has really changed since then other than tiktok has grown to be an absolute giant on social media. i don't think the tiktok ceo is going to prove this is not happening. i think it is hard to prove a negative and i think that these kind of congressional hearings are often a case of politicians having a go at tech ceos and we saw that with mark zuckerberg with facebook. i think it would be a very tough day and i don't think we will get anything thatis don't think we will get anything that is going to be concrete coming

out of it other than potentially the ceo of tiktok being put under the microscope and potentially sweating it out. it microscope and potentially sweating it out. , ., ., , it out. it is going to be fascinating _ it out. it is going to be fascinating to - it out. it is going to be fascinating to watch. l it out. it is going to be i fascinating to watch. joe it out. it is going to be - fascinating to watch. joe tidy, thanks very much indeed. no amount of money can undo the trauma of being caught up in a terror attack, or bring back a loved one, but it can cover bills for victims who can no longer work and pay for therapy or even funerals. but the bbc has been told the uk government's compensation scheme is broken. the campaign group survivors against terror says the process is stressful, demeaning, and that it magnifies the initial pain of the attack. jayne mccubbin has been speaking to three terrorism survivors about their experiences. i lost the person i was. myjob. my working life. my career. at the mem arena in manchester, a bomb'sjust gone off in the foyer. 0k. the greatest loss was the love of my life, my elaine.

i've seen this kid curled up in a ball in the shower. can't get the screams out of her head. she describes the blood on her feet and she can still feel it. when zoe and paul experienced the very worst, they thought their government would be there. instead, they say they felt abandoned. we've received nothing, absolutely nothing. i thought, this is... this is it. my life... my life is over. these were the last photographs taken by zoe of her daughter millie in tunisia 2015, just before their life changed forever. we were playing darts by the pool. it was like a pop, pop, pop noise coming from the beach. and i knew even then, i knew what it was. a lone gunman killed 38 people that day. as holidaymakers fled, the family were separated. millie was chased along a hotel corridor, where the gunman threw a grenade.

for a time, that cost her her hearing. just... it'sjust horrific. it's completely changed her life. when she returned home, prime minister david cameron sent this letter and a promise. "i am determined the government does everything it can to support "you, to make sure the government provides the best possible support." instead, they say they have had to fight for compensation and therapy. how are you? good. how are you? today, millie is trying to rebuild her life in america, still unable to talk about what happened in sousse. millie started with panic attacks about a month after the attack, and they've never stopped. she's never had any real treatment, therapy. it's like nobody cares. what we all went - through was horrific. and the fact that we . aren't being helped is, in my opinion, offensive. our hearts all go out to the victims of these appalling terrorist acts.

our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and with their friends, families and loved ones. sympathy is never in short supply when there is yet another terror attack. but campaign group survivors against terror say victims are consistently let down by the cica, the criminal injuries compensation authority. paul's partner, elaine, was killed in the manchester arena bomb attack. he spent eight months in hospital recovering from his own extensive injuries. while still in hospital, people told me there was, you know... ..the whole nation were behind the people who'd lost or were injured. "you won't have anything to worry about. "you just concentrate on getting getting better "and getting over this. " and it never happened. i came out in february to nothing. the first letter, on top...

paul shows me almost four years' worth of correspondence fighting for compensation. june �*22. "we are ready to assess your application for compensation. "you told us you sustained injuries..." that's. .. that's just worded totally wrong. well, the cica is set up for injuries, you know, fights outside pubs, you know, crash—for—cash claims, they sort of view you as... you're on the make. yes. yes, very much so. and that's how they make me feel. survivors against terror say this system isn't what the public would expect and is not what survivors deserve. it's a nightmare. most of the organisations i've come across, i've just stumbled across or i've found myself. late last year, paul appeared on the bbc breakfast sofa. and suddenly... yeah. ..everything changed. yeah. the same day, my solicitor received a phone call.

it shouldn't take sitting on the red sofa to make the cica take action. the ministry ofjustice told us, "the criminal injuries compensation "scheme is one of the most generous in the world. "but we know more must be done to support victims of terrorism, "which is why the government is reviewing the support available." everything went so quick, but i've been stabbed in my stomach, in my lung at the back and on my face as well. when marine, a french national, was stabbed in the london bridge terror attack in 2017, her government was proactive in offering fast financial, practical and psychological support. we receive a lump sum in advance of the compensation, which will come after. i had a psychologist coming to my home actually every week. it was all organised. it's kind of simple, when you think

about it, but it's what it should be. she was one of a group of campaigners who, this week, went to westminster to demand change — a survivors�* charter, one which alleviates the pain of an attack, instead of magnifying it. jayne mccubbin, bbc news. here in the uk, the nhs is launching a catch—up vaccination campaign in london primary schools to ensure children are protected against polio. immunisation rates in the city are still lagging behind the rest of the uk. polio is rare but can cause paralysis if the virus attacks nerves in the brain or spine. i'm joined now by dr natalie rout, a gp with gray's inn road medical centre here in london. thank you forjoining us. how worried should people be about this? is it reallyjust precautionary?

this is precautionary but it should be taken seriously. last year from february until november, there were polio virus detected in sewage samples in london at higher rates than we have seen the four which suggests there has been some transmission in the population and what we want to try to prevent is any cases of paralysis occurring, which is a severe complication of something like polio. to which is a severe complication of something like polio.— something like polio. to have immunisation _ something like polio. to have immunisation rates _ something like polio. to have immunisation rates falling --| something like polio. to have - immunisation rates falling -- have immunisation rates falling —— have immunisation rates falling —— have immunisation rates falling —— have immunisation rates falling? timer;r immunisation rates falling -- have immunisation rates falling? they are lac um: immunisation rates falling? they are lagging behind _ immunisation rates falling? they are lagging behind the — immunisation rates falling? they are lagging behind the rest _ immunisation rates falling? they are lagging behind the rest of— immunisation rates falling? they are lagging behind the rest of the - immunisation rates falling? they are lagging behind the rest of the uk. i lagging behind the rest of the uk. since we started doing the catch at these campaign last year, rates have improved, but not to the extent we need them to. in london at the moment, ourvaccination need them to. in london at the moment, our vaccination rate for under one—year—old is full polio is about 88%. in comparison to the rest of england where it is 92%. we still have catching up to do. hagar of england where it is 92%. we still have catching up to do.— have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? — have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? it _ have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? it is _ have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? it is a _ have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? it is a virus - have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? it is a virus that i have catching up to do. how is it transmitted? it is a virus that is | transmitted? it is a virus that is

often transmitted _ transmitted? it is a virus that is often transmitted in _ transmitted? it is a virus that is often transmitted in stool. - transmitted? it is a virus that is often transmitted in stool. poor hand hygiene, washing your hands before you eat, after you go to the bathroom, washing your hands before you prepare food or very important in reducing transmission —— all very important. d0 in reducing transmission -- all very imortant. ,, in reducing transmission -- all very imortant. i. ,, ., in reducing transmission -- all very important-— in reducing transmission -- all very imortant. ,, ., ., important. do you know how the uk and london — important. do you know how the uk and london is _ important. do you know how the uk and london is comparing _ important. do you know how the uk and london is comparing with - important. do you know how the uk and london is comparing with other| and london is comparing with other parts of the world? is there an increased worry or is it a blip just being seen here? trio. increased worry or is it a blip 'ust being seen here?i increased worry or is it a blip 'ust being seen here? increased worry or is it a blip 'ust bein: seen here? ., ., , being seen here? no, there have been cases being seen here? no, there have been eases around — being seen here? no, there have been cases around the _ being seen here? no, there have been cases around the world _ being seen here? no, there have been cases around the world as _ being seen here? no, there have been cases around the world as well. - being seen here? no, there have been cases around the world as well. i - cases around the world as well. i believe there were cases of paralysis in israel and in new york earlier this year, so it is notjust the uk affected. but i think we are really focusing on trying to keep up the fact that we have not had any cases since 2003, we were declared that polio was eradicated for years, and we don't want to full behind again. and we don't want to full behind

aaain. , ., ., , ., again. -- full behind again. if you aet again. -- full behind again. if you get polio. — again. -- full behind again. if you get polio. what — again. -- full behind again. if you get polio, what is _ again. -- full behind again. if you get polio, what is the _ again. -- full behind again. if you get polio, what is the likelihood l again. -- full behind again. if you | get polio, what is the likelihood of the awful symptom of paralysis because some people don't have symptoms?— because some people don't have s mtoms? ., , , ., ., symptoms? that is true, it is a rare combination. _ symptoms? that is true, it is a rare combination, but _ symptoms? that is true, it is a rare combination, but even _ symptoms? that is true, it is a rare combination, but even if— symptoms? that is true, it is a rare combination, but even if we - symptoms? that is true, it is a rare combination, but even if we can - combination, but even if we can prevent the one case of paralysis, it means a lot. most cases, like you say, may be asymptomatic, some people mightjust have a fever, headache, body aches, muscle aches, tummy upset, but if you are unfortunate enough to get the rare side effect, it can be truly debilitating.— side effect, it can be truly debilitating. side effect, it can be truly debilitatinu. . ~ , ., , . debilitating. thank you very much indeed. the australian prime minister, anthony albanese, has urged people to vote to formally recognise indigenous peoples in the country's constitution in a referendum later this year. the document currently has no mention of the groups, even though they make up more than 3% of the population. to be very clear, because i was

asked this question this morning, are there any circumstances in which this will not be put to a vote? the answer to that is no, because to not put this to a vote... so... ..to not put this to a vote is to concede defeat. you only win when you run on the field and engage. and let me tell you, my government is engaged. we're all in. phil mercer is in sydney and joins me now. emotional statement. tell us more about what is planned? the referendum _ about what is planned? the referendum is _ about what is planned? tie: referendum is expected in about what is planned? ti9: referendum is expected in october, november, laterthis referendum is expected in october, november, later this year. referendum is expected in october, november, laterthis year. if referendum is expected in october, november, later this year. if it is approved by the australian people, it would enshrine an indigenous

voice to australia's federal parliament. what it would look like in parliament would be a permanent indigenous advisory body that would guide and shape government policy. the prime minister anthony albanese lee has today laid out more specifics of this particular plan, including the wording of the question australians will be asked. anthony albanese is of the mind that enshrining this indigenous voice to parliament would have practical benefits, it would enhance the lives of some of australia's most disadvantaged people. australia's original inhabitants have been here for the best part of 65,000 years, but they suffer disproportionately high rates of poverty, ill—health and incarceration. it is worth noting too in many instances indigenous australians have a life expectancy of ten years left than other people in the country and the

government is on the view that this constitutional recognition would make a practical benefit, a practical difference to australia's indigenous peoples —— ten years less. indigenous peoples -- ten years less. ~ :, :, , :, indigenous peoples -- ten years less. :, :, , :, :, less. what does poling say of where ublic less. what does poling say of where public opinion _ less. what does poling say of where public opinion is _ less. what does poling say of where public opinion is and _ less. what does poling say of where public opinion is and why _ less. what does poling say of where public opinion is and why is - less. what does poling say of where public opinion is and why is a - public opinion is and why is a referendum needed? than public opinion is and why is a referendum needed? an indigenous voice could be _ referendum needed? an indigenous voice could be set _ referendum needed? an indigenous voice could be set up _ referendum needed? an indigenous voice could be set up by _ referendum needed? an indigenous voice could be set up by legislation | voice could be set up by legislation but there was a meeting in 2010 22017 and they produced a document called the statement of the heart —— in 2017. it called for a constitutional recognition of indigenous people and constitutionally enshrined voice. that is the part that government is following. there is plenty of opposition though in this country to the proposal. he has divided indigenous people across the vast country. —— it has. indigenous australians are not a homogenous

group, made up of hundreds of different nations. some indigenous people do not want an indigenous voice to parliament, they want to have greater self determination. other campaigners say they do not want to be treated any differently to other people. on the opposition side of politics, the conservative side of politics, the conservative side of politics, there is a view this would add simply another layer of bureaucracy to australia's government and decision—making, so there is a huge amount of work to be done on the yes side of the campaign before australians eventually vote later this year. phil before australians eventually vote later this year.— later this year. phil mercer in s dne , later this year. phil mercer in sydney. thank _ later this year. phil mercer in sydney, thank you. _ more now on sri lanka, as we were reporting earlier this week it secured a $3 billion bailout from the international monetary fund, as it faces its worst economic crisis since independence. the deal is being seen as a lifeline for the country, but it comes with a set of pre—conditions and concerns are mounting the plan will not help. from colombo, archana shukla reports. it's been a year of stagnating

life for sri lankans. the government now hopes the recently secured imf loan will put the economy back on track. but anxiety among ordinary sri lankans is still clearly noticeable. translation: poor people stay poor. these people are suffering every day. so, i don't think that the people in the country will benefit because of the imf loan. translation: we spend most of our hard-earned income buying food. - we've stopped travelling and cut our power usage. we have stopped enjoying our life. this government tries to suppress those who speak against them. see, everyone is afraid to talk to you. translation: i used to import textiles, but i have _ closed my businesses. i'm in severe losses and don't see a government plan to help us. - some things have improved, though. the long queues have disappeared

and tourists are returning. the imf loan will also help ease shortages. but austerity has proven to be a tough nut to crack, even for dollar—generating export units. translation: after paying the workers' salaries, - electricity bills, fuel, taxes, our margins have shrunk and we are not able to compete with other countries. the government says it is confident the imf—mandated long list of reforms will deliver. translation: because of this agreement, financial _ discipline in our country will become legislated. stringent new laws for the prevention of corruption will be introduced. but economists say the quick—fix solutions that the government is promising are bound to fail. sri lanka's crisis begins with a crisis of governance —

that's the cause, and corruption — and ignoring that and treating the symptoms, like balance of payments, you know, reducing debt to gdp, these are just symptoms of the problem. it is not going to help us find a sustainable solution. sri lanka has had 16 imf bailouts before and reforms in more than half left unfinished. the imf loan may encourage investors, but there is still a crisis of confidence. there doesn't seem to have been enough explanations to the public on why these hard—hitting reforms were needed, and a delay in local elections is worrying many. gaining this trust will be the bigger challenge going ahead. archana shukla, bbc news, colombo. 1a people remain in hospital after a ship tipped over at an edinburgh dockyard. the research vessel petrel was in a dry dock in leith when it became dislodged from its holding and slipped to a 45—degree angle. the health and safety executive said investigations into the cause are ongoing.

our scotland correspondent james shaw told us what investigators believe happened to the ship. well, it is still pretty sketchy at the moment. the theory is, not confirmed, that because there were high winds on this part of the firth of forth yesterday morning, and this is a delicate structure, a high structure, possibly with a high centre of gravity, that might have meant that somehow the holdings holding this vessel, the petrel, in its dry dock, might have come loose some time between 8 and 8.30 yesterday morning, this accident started to happen then. it seems there were quite a lot of people around the vessel, on it and around it at the time, because 35 people were injured, 23 taken to hospital, and of those, our understanding at the moment is that eight are still in hospital at the moment. but let's just take a closer look at this vessel. if we just zoom in on the research vessel, petrel, you can see its name

just on the bow there, perhaps you can see the helipad, that white structure, also to the left of the picture, at the front, at the bow end of the vessel. and you can see very clearly that it is at a pretty extreme angle, about 45 degrees. there does not seem to be that much activity around it. there were a couple of people with green fluorescent jackets just walking around the outside of the hull a few minutes ago. clearly, this is going to be a big operation, a big investigation possibly by the health and safety executive, to look into exactly what happened because it was a huge emergency. large numbers of emergency vehicles, ambulances, the airambulance, police and coastguard and fire service were all called in. hospitals were at a high state of alert and worried that they might not have capacity for the normal cases they would be taking in, so it was a very big incident. as far as we know, there has

been no loss of life. we have no reports of loss of life or anyone in a critical or life—threatening condition in hospital, but that mightjust be a matter of luck, because when this vessel moved, it's been suggested that there was scaffolding on it, people might have been high up on the superstructure, they may have fallen onto the dock alongside where it was and that could possibly explain why some people were seriously injured. these kinds of things of course are not supposed to happen in modern docks with the kinds of health and safety regimes that are operating these days, but it has happened, for whatever reason, possibly because of the high wind. and the authorities, the health and safety executive, will want to understand exactly why this happened to attempt to prevent something similar happening in the future. a court in western india has sentenced the opposition leader, rahul gandhi, to two years in prison

in a criminal defamation case. mr gandhi, from the congress party, was convicted by the court in gujarat state for comments he made about prime minister narendra modi's surname during an election rally in 2019. we will bring you more on that in the coming hour. access to nature should be a human right, according to 100 citizens who today publish a people's plan for restoring nature. they're calling for urgent action on everything from restoring the health of rivers and wetlands, to food hubs for locally—grown food. our science correspondent, helen briggs, met one of the people taking part. come down here and just sort of escape it all... rebecca has been visiting the fields near her oxfordshire home since she was a child. growing up with nature on my doorstep, we've always enjoyed being in and around it and it does need to be protected. it's really scary to think what the children of today are going to grow up in. so, when she was randomly selected to be part of the people's plan for nature, shejumped at the chance.

the plan goes across lots of different things. it's everyone's responsibility to get involved and and take part, make those little changes. at this hotel in birmingham, 100 people from across the uk have been meeting over the past year to share ideas and devise their own plan for bringing wildlife back from the brink. and they're calling for a complete overhaul in the way we treat nature, from the food we eat and how we use the land, to tougher action on preventing pollution. here at the university of reading, scientists have been monitoring declines in plants and animals on home soilfor decades, and they say nature's in a lamentable state. despite the number of plans that we've had, the government haven't met targets for restoring nature. there are 70,000 species in the uk — from fungi, plants, insects and mammals — and around 2/5 of those are in decline.

a people's plan for nature is really important because it allows civil society and business and government to work together towards a shared goal. what's the main message from ordinary people about what we need to be doing to restore nature? just any little change, you can help, and do, do it, i think would be it. it's no change is too small. our islands are known for their natural wonders, from bluebells, to butterflies and badgers, but experts say reversing decades of devastating losses will involve efforts from every one of us, on a scale we've never seen before. helen briggs, bbc news, in the thames valley. 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 istiqlal grand mosque in jakarta. for some, it's their first time marking the start of the holy month at the huge venue. translation: although the first 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. 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. canada's population grew at its fastest—ever rate last year after it welcomed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including many from ukraine and afghanistan. the country added more than a million people. it's now among the top 20 fastest—growing nations on earth — rare for a developed country.

that is it from us. see you soon. goodbye. hello. temperatures may remain higher than normal at the moment, but the conditions are fairly typical. spring, changeable. an area of low pressure in charge. this satellite picture from earlier, you can see cloud swirling around it. these clumps are some bands of heavy and thundery showers, this one to the south could bring some more persistent rain in the afternoon, from the english channel into southern counties of england. away from that, a scattering of showers, some heavy and thundery. it does mean some of you will stay largely dry through the afternoon. in fact, not too many showers across mainland scotland. persistent rain in orkney, just edging towards shetland. and the winds today not as strong across scotland or northern ireland compared with yesterday, but still touching gale force for parts of england and wales, particularly around the hills and the coast. those winds still coming

in from a south—westerly direction, so a good 5—6 degrees above where we should be. 15—16 degrees across some eastern parts of england. but we do finish the day to the south, evening rush hour could be a wet one across southern counties of england, east anglia and the south—east, maybe parts of the midlands, too. that heavy rain clears away. showers elsewhere through the evening and overnight. but the clearer skies mean it will be a slightly cooler night across some southern areas compared with last night. so, into friday, we go. another story of sunshine and showers, fairly blustery winds as well. the bulk of the showers to begin with across scotland, one or two isolated ones elsewhere. but friday, those showers bloom more widely across the country, and, into the afternoon, some becoming heavy, with hail and thunder. a few spots staying dry, and still pretty mild, even in that blustery wind. 9—14 celsius, the general highs. an area of low pressure slowly on the move friday night into saturday. just got to watch this next approaching weather system for late in the day.

but saturday, another windy day, outbreaks of rain, a fair bit of cloud in england and wales, some sunny spells later. but a cloudier zone, with rain turning to sleet and hill snow across scotland into the afternoon. temperatures here dropping back in the second half of the day. all of us, though, seeing them drop back a little bit to what we've got at the moment. what follows is our leap into british summer time, as far as the clocks are concerned, at least. clocks go forward during saturday night and into sunday morning, but the weather takes a step backwards. as low pressure pushes its way eastwards, we open the door to colder arctic air. it's a chilly—feeling sunday, one or two wintry showers, too. take care.

this is bbc news, welcome if you're watching here in the uk or around the globe. i'm rebecca jones. our top stories: the bank of england is expected to increase interest rates for an 11th consecutive time following an unexpected jump in inflation in the uk. the french president defends his decision to push through unpopular pension reforms as another day of strikes and protests begins across the country. on the frontline in southern ukraine, where troops loyal to kyiv are holding their defences, despite constant attacks from russian shelling. those two russian shells that have come in, i think it's tank fire, and i think being very close

to these positions gives you an idea how exposed it is here. indian opposition leader rahul gandhi is sentenced to two years in prison for defamation over comments he made in 2019 about prime minister narendra modi's surname. and the world's first 3d—printed rocket makes it off the launch pad but fails to reach orbit. we start in the uk, where millions of homeowners are bracing themselves for what would be the 11th successive rise in interest rates, since december 2021. it comes after a surprisejump in uk

inflation figures and a decision yesterday by the federal reserve, the central bank of the united states, to increase its key lending rate. last month, the bank of england predicted that the rate at which prices are rising had peaked. but on wednesday we learned that inflation rose to 10.4% in february, a near ao—year high. the spike was driven by soaring food prices, which are still rising faster than at any time in the last 45 years. and it means the uk has the highest inflation of all the major economies in the g7. i'm joined now by the bbc�*s cost of living correspondent, kevin peachey. we are expecting these figures in the next hour. what will the bank of england have had to weigh up in coming to its decision? this england have had to weigh up in coming to its decision?- coming to its decision? this is already a _ coming to its decision? this is already a 14 — coming to its decision? this is already a 14 year _ coming to its decision? this is already a 14 year high - coming to its decision? this is already a 14 year high and - coming to its decision? this is - already a 14 year high and interest rates, a key benchmark figure for

borrowers, savers and is looked at of course across the economy and it will go up we expect from 4% to 4.25% and as you mentioned the 11th consecutive rise. many previous ones were relatively inevitable but this one was much more in the balance up until a day ago, the surprise jump in inflation, the rate at which prices rise, and i think that is the key factor in the thinking of the bank of england what it can do with interest rates. it uses rates to try dampen consumer demand because borrowing becomes more expensive and that should bring down the rate of price rises. if interest rates go up as expected what will the impact be? on the wider economy but also on all of us. what the bank of england doesn't want to do is put up rates

so much it completely stops the economy stop obviously we are in a position at the moment where growth in the uk economy has been pretty slow to nonexistent and they won't want to put them up too much to completely knock that out, maybe draw the uk into a recession but there is clearly an impact on us as individuals, particularly borrowers and savers, so mortgage borrowers are, whether to be a quarter point rise today somebody on a tracker mortgage would be paying £24 per month more as a result and this comes on the back of lots of other increases so compared with december 2021 it is £400 per month more so it is a big impact on people who have mortgages, certainly ones that move in line with the bank rate. that is more than 1 in line with the bank rate. that is more than1 million homeowners in the uk but banks have been under a

lot of pressure, certainly from mps to pass on any rate rises to save us with better returns for savers. clearly that is logical to see that happen that there has been a lot of pressure on the banks to do so and if you are a savour and the inflation rate, the rate at which prices rise, that dilutes the buying power of your savings pot. and last night they raised rates in the united states as well. the announcement will be at midday today gmt. the ukrainian army is continuing to lose ground to russian forces in and around bakhmut in ukraine's eastern donbas region. but, further south it's a different story —

continuing attacks by russian tanks and armoured vehicles have resulted in heavy losses for moscow's forces with almost nothing to show for it.months of battles have turned some areas into a wasteland, where civilians and the military come under daily our correspondent quentin sommerville and camera journalist darren conway have sent this report which you can see in full on bbc news and on our website later today. missile whistles past, explosion. this is dima's daily duty. for months, the 1st separate tank brigade have been under russian attack, but they've barely given the enemy an inch of ukrainian soil. darren: this way, come on, run! run! straight to me. open ground here is the enemy's friend. come on. this way. there are spotter drones above. russian eyes are always watching... down, down, down, down. ..and waiting for movement.

quentin, get down. quentin pants heavily those two russian shells that have just come in, i think it's tank fire very close to these positions, and that gives you an idea of how exposed it is here. there's absolutely no tree cover. the safest place for these men is in the trenches. they've already taken a couple of casualties here in the last week. panting heavily are you all right? keep down. the bombardments never stop. missile whistles past, explosion. you can watch quentin's report

in full on the bbc news website from 12.00 gmt and on the bbc news from six o'clock later today. a court in western india has sentenced the opposition leader, rahul gandhi, to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case. mr gandhi, from the congress party, was convicted by the court in gujarat state for comments he made about prime minister narendra modi's surname during an election rally in 2019. i'm joined by anbarasan ethirajan, our south asia regional editor. for viewers not so familiar with this explain its significance. this is part of the ongoing political drama, it is a theatre and india. mr gandhi comes from the influential indian political dynasty and in a speech in 2019 he referred to the

surname of indian prime minister modi and refer to a few fugitive tycoons who had escaped from india and were wanted, how come all those who were wanted had the surname modi? indian surnames referred to a a caste so by linking the surname of mr modi two themes has insulted them. it has a huge impact on him and the party and that is why it has huge significance. i think i am right to say india has elections next year. what impact will it have

on the opposition congress party? there are rodi people talking about whether he should be disqualified from the parliament because if anyone is convicted for two or more years on a criminal case this should be disqualified so that will be an setback for mr gandhi. he has been given bail and setback for mr gandhi. he has been given bailand can setback for mr gandhi. he has been given bail and can appeal in a higher court and that is what his party is planning to do. the other opposition parties have strongly criticised him saying there is a conspiracy to eliminate other opposition politically. the elections are coming next year and the government can take this to the people saying how he insulted the modi community but the congress party has said the party is not

trying to eliminate voices who are critical of the government. french president emmanuel macron has defended his decision to push through an unpopular reform to the pension system, despite a wave of protests across the country. this footage is of protests in toulouse this morning, where demonstrators have set fire to bins and tyres in order to block the road. in a television interview on wednesday, president macron said pushing up the pension age from 62 to 64 was a necessity in order to protect the system for future generations. translation: there aren't a hundred solutions if we want the pensions - system to be balanced. it no longer is. and the more we wait, the more it will get worse. and so, this reform is necessary. and i say this to the french people — i don't enjoy doing this, i would have preferred not to do this, but it is also because of a sense of responsibility. i'm joined now by prisca thevenot,

french parliamentarian sitting in the national assembly on behalf of the reneissance, emmanuel macron's political movement. good to have you with us? mr macron has pushed through this political form they might re—form and is a member of the assembly i wonder how you justify that to your constituents? i you justify that to your constituents?- you justify that to your constituents? :, ,, :, constituents? i would like to remind ou of constituents? i would like to remind you of something — constituents? i would like to remind you of something very _ constituents? i would like to remind you of something very important - constituents? i would like to remindl you of something very important that what is at stake today should not be macron himself but the sustainability of our retirement system as you said in your report. there is a system of retirement and people do not put money aside and invest for their retirement plan. the roadworks —— might the way it works is that workers finance their

retirement pensions and there are a lot of issues and that because in 2000 there were 10 million retirement pensions to pay. now it is about 17 million and in 2038 will be 20 million. the only way to balance the system and to have a sustainable future pension and francis to push back the age at which can get retired. otherwise we would have to choose between higher contribution, lower pension or more debts and that is actually the main issue. we want to go further and that the democratic process for people, for pensions. is that the democratic process for people, for pensions.— that the democratic process for people, for pensions. is the only wa to people, for pensions. is the only way to fund _ people, for pensions. is the only way to fund pensions _ people, for pensions. is the only way to fund pensions because i way to fund pensions because opponents have said there are alternative ways to fund pensions including a wealth tax, which earlier president macron had abolished. why does he not look at some of those other alternatives including for example a wealth tax?

it is a good question and thank you for asking. it is a good question and thank you forasking. if it is a good question and thank you for asking. if we do more taxes are change the way we finance the retirement plan in france it means we change the whole thing and it will not be sustainable. and actually i said as an mp in france that none of the political movements that none of the political movements that fight again the reform right now have been able to propose a credible alternative. they are yelling in the street but not debating. yelling in the street but not debatina. ~ :, yelling in the street but not debating-— yelling in the street but not debatina. ~ :, :, , , yelling in the street but not debatina. :, :, , , :, debating. what does president macron need to do to — debating. what does president macron need to do to quell— debating. what does president macron need to do to quell the _ debating. what does president macron need to do to quell the strikes - debating. what does president macron need to do to quell the strikes and i need to do to quell the strikes and the protest? bill need to do to quell the strikes and the protest?— the protest? all the people ask in this reform. _ the protest? all the people ask in this reform, and _ the protest? all the people ask in this reform, and we _ the protest? all the people ask in this reform, and we have - the protest? all the people ask in this reform, and we have put i the protest? all the people ask in this reform, and we have put all. the protest? all the people ask in i this reform, and we have put all the things in this reform, for women and for people who stop area to work,

all these things are in the reform right now and what we are facing now, there are two kinds of demonstration, legitimate demonstrations which are well organised by unions and so far they went extremely well. but we have also violent demonstrations and that kind of violence is not normal in our democracy.— kind of violence is not normal in our democracy. kind of violence is not normal in our democra . :, , , , , our democracy. polling suggests this oli is our democracy. polling suggests this policy is very — our democracy. polling suggests this policy is very unpopular. _ our democracy. polling suggests this policy is very unpopular. i _ our democracy. polling suggests this policy is very unpopular. ithink- policy is very unpopular. i think president macron approval rating has dropped to 29%. is he really have a democratic mandate to push this reform through? you democratic mandate to push this reform through?— democratic mandate to push this reform through? you are talking to an mp elected _ reform through? you are talking to an mp elected democratically i reform through? you are talking to an mp elected democratically and i an mp elected democratically and macron has been elected twice democratically and what we have to face now is that we have some mps who do not want to go through the

democratic way to debate. they are willing to go on the streets, and thatis willing to go on the streets, and that is not democratic, actually. brute that is not democratic, actually. we must leave it there, very good to talk to you here on bbc news. thank you. the bank of england is expected to increase pension rate an announcement at noon today and the french president is determined to push through pension reforms.

borisjohnson was investigated by mps yesterday investigating whether he misled parliament and during a three—hour investigation repeatedly denied lying about events in number ten and repeatedly stated he believed the gatherings were necessary for work purposes.

we we arejoined we we are joined by a doctor who worked in covid treatment and also lost her father during the pandemic. what did you make of the testimony of borisjohnson and how satisfied were you that the questions you wanted answered were asked? i'm joined now by covid—19 bereaved families forjustice member dr saleyha ahsan. she was was an icu doctor working in covid wards at the time but also lost her father to covid around the same time these downing street parties were happening. yesterday was a very triggering day and there were times i thought some of the questioning could be more robust but i thought that cher handled it very well and —— i thought the chairman handled it very well. it was a game of semantics where we have this element of truth will be no rules were broken and that gatherings that were not —— we

know that rules were broken and gatherings happened. this seems like a game of how to navigate that and it is wordplay and manipulation of facts supported by the best lawyers money can buy. at times i thought i could see the lawyers shaking their heads behind borisjohnson but what it made me feel like was the simple truth off when you start a life you have to keep lying to enable you to cover up the original lie. that is what yesterday felt like, it was extremely triggering most of the mentioned had personal associations to me. the garden party and may was when we were working in accident and emergency and it in full ppe sweating and melting away. i

remember one case what i had to step away from the patient because i thought i was going to pass out because i was so hot and one of my colleagues had to step in. that was a time prior to the vaccine. moving on december 18, the infamous cheese and wine party or gathering or he wants to calls it happened when social distancing was not practised, that was the day my father caught covid and by the time we had the allegra stratton press conference where social distancing was marked, that was the day my father had a big mask on his face that goes with patients with covid anti—did not take it off until he died on 28th

december. all these dates have been laden for me with personal events that yesterday just triggered. i laden for me with personal events that yesterdayjust triggered. i can that yesterday 'ust triggered. i can onl beain that yesterday 'ust triggered. i can only begin to — that yesterday just triggered. i can only begin to imagine _ that yesterdayjust triggered. i can only begin to imagine what that been like. borisjohnson does not deny misleading parliament and says it was inadvertent but on the advice of his staff who were all working under extreme pressure. do you have any sympathy with that argument? nobody was workin: sympathy with that argument? nobody was working under _ sympathy with that argument? nobody was working under the _ sympathy with that argument? nobody was working under the kind _ sympathy with that argument? nobody was working under the kind of - was working under the kind of pressure we were working under, and we managed to stick to the rules and by we i mean all the health care workers whether they were clinical within hospital settings. that would have been the one and only place i can think of within the country that would have had any scope or any entitlement for this sort of gathering and morale boosts that borisjohnson was talking about yesterday, but we did not have them.

what we did do was we often sat down and thought about the time when one day when this was all over we would all be able to get together and have all be able to get together and have a hug and talk about this in the future, not now in the moment. government at the top of the tree, their role was to help save as many lives as possible. we were working at the coal face, right at the front doing ourjob to deliver what their guidance was to help save as many lives as possible. what is really upsetting is to know at the top of the tree it was rotten. that is very very distressing and to reflect on the number of patients we lost at that time, the families we had to break horrific news too, the families that could not comment to say goodbye, the challenges of then arranging a funeral for lost loved ones, myself included, having to choose who could come to the rather limited numbers allowed at the

funerals with social distance taken into account. we all remember even going to the shop so we all had to stand two metres apart and even had supermarket marshals doing their best to keep us apart. so the rest of the country got it. i think there was only one exception to the rule with a two metres distancing could be overlooked and for me that was only when we were standing around the bed of a sedated patient with covid getting ready to turn them onto the back of their front so they could breathe better. that is the only time. i don't see any other time. i thought the way he was talking about boosting morale for his team was actually for me really jarring. he didn't think about our

morale or how the morale of others doing the kind of work we were doing and also lets think about all the other key workers who risk their lives to go out to work to keep things moving, all of the rest of us did not have these excuses, we did not make these excuses to break the rules so our morale could be boosted. most of the people who work through these horrific conditions literally through the nhs are on sick leave, quite a significant number. we have never seen so many people off sick with burn—out. what was borisjohnson thinking about the rest of us in our morale? brute was boris johnson thinking about the rest of us in our morale?— rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot — rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot of _ rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot of time _ rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot of time but _ rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot of time but i _ rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot of time but i did - rest of us in our morale? we don't have a lot of time but i did just i have a lot of time but i did just want to ask you, borisjohnson is honestly no longer prime minister. what you want happen now? lloathed honestly no longer prime minister. what you want happen now? what i would like to _ what you want happen now? what i would like to do _ what you want happen now? what i would like to do and _ what you want happen now? what i would like to do and love _ what you want happen now? what i would like to do and love to - what you want happen now? what i would like to do and love to see i what you want happen now? what i would like to do and love to see is i would like to do and love to see is

this process to go to fruition and in my opinion not only would i like to see a line drawn thoroughly under party gate but only when it has been properly investigated and all the truth is out and we can move away from all this worth playing but i would like to see a line drawn also under his political career. thank you forjoining us and bbc news. more now on sri lanka as we were reporting earlier this week it secured a $3bn bailout from the international monetary fund as it faces its worst economic crisis since independence. the deal is being seen as a lifeline

for the country but it comes with a set of pre—conditions and concerns are mounting that the plan will not help. from colombo, archana shukla reports. hello. temperatures may remain higher than normal at the moment, but the conditions are fairly typical. spring, changeable. an area of low pressure in charge. this satellite picture from earlier, you can see cloud swirling around it. these clumps are some bands of heavy and thundery showers, this one to the south could bring some more persistent rain in the afternoon, sliding through the english channel into southern counties of england. away from that, a scattering of showers, some heavy and thundery. it does mean some of you will stay largely dry through the afternoon, not too many showers across mainland scotland. persistent rain in orkney, just edging towards shetland. and the winds today not as strong

across scotland or northern ireland compared with yesterday, but still touching gale force for parts of england and wales, particularly around the hills and the coast. those winds still coming in from a south—westerly direction, so a good 5—6 degrees above where we should be. 15—16 degrees across some eastern parts of england. but we do finish the day to the south, evening rush hour could be a wet one across southern counties of england, east anglia and the south—east, maybe parts of the midlands, too. that heavy rain clears away. showers elsewhere through the evening and overnight. but the clearer skies mean it will be a slightly cooler night across some southern areas compared with last night. so, into friday we go. with last night. another story of sunshine and showers, fairly blustery winds as well. the bulk of the showers to begin with across scotland, one or two isolated ones elsewhere. but friday, those showers bloom more widely across the country, and into the afternoon some becoming heavy, with hail and thunder. a few spots staying dry, and still pretty mild, even in that blustery wind. 9—14 celsius, the general highs. an area of low pressure slowly on the move through friday night into saturday.

just got to watch this next approaching weather system for late in the day. but saturday, another windy day, outbreaks of rain, a fair bit of cloud across england and wales, some sunny spells later. but a cloudier zone, with rain turning to sleet and hill snow across scotland into the afternoon. temperatures here dropping back in the second half of the day. all of us, though, seeing them drop back a little bit to what we've got at the moment. what follows is our leap into british summer time, as far as the clocks are concerned, at least. clocks go forward during saturday night and into sunday morning, but the weather takes a step backwards. as low pressure pushes its way eastwards, we open the door to colder arctic air. it's a chilly—feeling sunday, one or two wintry showers, too. take care.

the us federal reserve raises interest rates again, despite the turbulence in the financial sector. will the bank of england follow suit? time is ticking for tiktok, as its chief faces a congressional hearing today, amidst mounting data privacy concerns from us lawmakers. welcome to world business report. i'm victoria valentine. so let's get down to business and begin in the us, where the central bank has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percent.

this leaves the benchmark overnight rate in a range