today at one: interest rates up again — a rise of a quarter of a percentage point — they're now the highest they've been for m years. the bank of england has put them up to a.25% — as it tries to control inflation. but it's more bad news for mortgage holders. each interest—rate rise that came along, you know, eyebrows raised and thought, "well, how are we going to do this?" and you thought that it would stop eventually, but it hasn't. it is the 11th interest rate rise in a row — we'll be analysing what it means for borrowers and savers. also this lunchtime... junior doctors in england announce four consecutive days of strike action next month in their dispute with the government over pay. a wealthy nigerian politician

and his wife are found guilty of an organ trafficking plot — they brought a street trader to britain to provide a kidney for his daughter. explosion. the desperate battle for bakhmut in eastern ukraine — we have a report from the frontline. those two russian shells that have just come in, i think it's tank fire holding very close to these positions. and questions about the environmental impact of premier league football teams who fly short distances to games. and coming up on the bbc news channel — manchester united's takeover bid deadline is extended, as sirjim ratcliffe and sheikh jassim are yet to submit new bids to buy the club.

good afternoon. interest rates have gone up again — by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25%. that's the 11th successive jump in the cost of borrowing in less than 18 months. the decision to raise rates again by the bank of england's monetary policy committee follows yesterday's inflation figures, which were higher than expected. today's rate rise is good news for savers but puts more pressure on mortgage holders — already being squeezed by the soaring cost of living. here's our economics correspondent, andy verity what correspondent, andy verity does this house mean means what does this house mean to us? it means everything, basically. it means everything, basically. it means 20 years of memories, it means watching your kids grow up in the same house for 20 years. watching them go off to the school around the corner and coming home every day,

watching theirfriends corner and coming home every day, watching their friends coming in and playing. in watching their friends coming in and .la in. _ ., , watching their friends coming in and -la inc. . , ., playing. in cambridge, neilworks from home _ playing. in cambridge, neilworks from home and _ playing. in cambridge, neilworks from home and also _ playing. in cambridge, neilworks from home and also cares - playing. in cambridge, neilworks from home and also cares for- playing. in cambridge, neilworks from home and also cares for his| from home and also cares for his wife, who is seriously ill. but their mortgage has gone from £255 at their mortgage has gone from £255 at the start of last year, to 1460 now. with no way to remortgage at their age to a better deal, he is likely to be. cell and been furtherfrom the hospital where she is being treated. it the hospital where she is being treated. . ~ , , ., the hospital where she is being treated. w , , ., the hospital where she is being treated. , ., ., treated. it takes your breath away, whenever i — treated. it takes your breath away, whenever i see _ treated. it takes your breath away, whenever i see a _ treated. it takes your breath away, whenever i see a santander- treated. it takes your breath away, i whenever i see a santander envelope coming through the letterbox. you know, you think not another one. we arejust so know, you think not another one. we are just so used to it going know, you think not another one. we arejust so used to it going up every other month that i am blase to it. you despair quietly inwardly, but i can't let that show because you have got to keep things running and do what you can to keep up with it. ., �* ., ~ .,

and do what you can to keep up with it. now, the bank of england has raised its official _ it. now, the bank of england has raised its official rate _ it. now, the bank of england has raised its official rate for - it. now, the bank of england has raised its official rate for the - raised its official rate for the 11th time in a row to 4.25%, the highest since 2008, hitting neal and millions like him on variable mortgages. the official increase means borrowers on a typical tracker mortgage will pay about £24 a month more. those on standard variable rate face a £15jump. since rates started rising in december 2021, a typical track at loan has gone up by £394 a month on the typical variable rate by 251. with rates expected to peak soon and come down, mortgage brokers are adapting their advice to their customers. if brokers are adapting their advice to their customers.— their customers. if you think, like i do, their customers. if you think, like i do. interest— their customers. if you think, like i do, interest rates _ their customers. if you think, like i do, interest rates will— their customers. if you think, like i do, interest rates will stay - their customers. if you think, like i do, interest rates will stay at - i do, interest rates will stay at the sort of levels we are seeing now, it might be more prudent to take a fixed rate. now you can get some five year fixes below the 4% level, starting with a three and thatis level, starting with a three and that is quite a good option for people. that is quite a good option for --eole. �* ., ,, people. after the run on silicon valley bang _ people. after the run on silicon valley bang on _ people. after the run on silicon valley bang on the _ people. after the run on silicon valley bang on the rest - people. after the run on silicon valley bang on the rest of - people. after the run on silicon valley bang on the rest of the l people. after the run on silicon i valley bang on the rest of the uk and the demise of credit suisse, the

bank of england acknowledge volatile financial markets partly because rapid rate rises. just financial markets partly because rapid rate rises.— rapid rate rises. just a few days a . o, the rapid rate rises. just a few days ago, the expectations - rapid rate rises. just a few days ago, the expectations have - rapid rate rises. just a few days. ago, the expectations have been rapid rate rises. just a few days - ago, the expectations have been the bank of england would keep rates on hold because of the international financial markets turmoil we have experienced. and then we had the inflation reading which came through higher than expected. so the policymakers are having to balance the domestic inflation risks against the domestic inflation risks against the threat that credit growth and low growth could slow quite dramatically, which would be bad for the economy. the dramatically, which would be bad for the economy-— the economy. the bank of england said it was costing _ the economy. the bank of england said it was costing banks _ the economy. the bank of england said it was costing banks more - the economy. the bank of england said it was costing banks more to i said it was costing banks more to raise funds on wholesale money markets, something that also happened in the credit crunch of 2007. but it said the uk banking system remained resilient. andyjoins me from the bbc business unit. do you think there are going to mean more interest rate rises to come? that is what they think in the city. at the beginning of the week, the

traders who spend their lives watching with interest rates and inflation are going, with thinking the bank of england might keep rates on hold and possibly for the next few months, because of the fragility is we have seen in the financial system. the higher interest rates are, the more they accentuate those for and that is why we have seen the demise of credit suisse and the demise of credit suisse and the demise of credit suisse and the demise of silicon valley bank. there was hesitancy about raising rates, but after yesterday's inflation figures that changed the figure completely and that made it more likely that rates would rise so possibly we will get another rise. in the back half of this year, they should start coming down. and? should start coming down. andy veri , should start coming down. andy verity. our _ should start coming down. andy verity, our economics _ should start coming down. andy verity, our economics correspondent, thank you very much. and if you want more analysis of what those interest rates means for you, along with useful tips and information, there's a special section on the bbc website — called tackling it together. junior doctors in england are to stage a four—day walk—out next month after their meetings

with the government to discuss pay broke down. they'll take action strike action from 11th of april to the 15th. their union, the british medical association, is asking for a 35% pay rise. it says the government has made no credible offer. let's speak to our health correspondent, jim reed. what more have the doctors been saying about this? the what more have the doctors been saying about this?— saying about this? the doctor's union have _ saying about this? the doctor's union have been _ saying about this? the doctor's union have been meeting - saying about this? the doctor's union have been meeting withl saying about this? the doctor's - union have been meeting with steve barclay, the health secretary this week, to try to find a way out of this dispute. those talks appear to have broken down and quite spectacularly. in the last hour, the words being used by the union are things like intransigent, accusing the government of dragging its feet, of not being serious. so as a result, we have this new strike announcement, four days in a row after the long easter weekend. so from tuesday after the bank holiday monday, right the way through to the friday. junior doctors saying we are

not going to stop until we are paid what we are worth. they have been asking for a 35% pay increase to make up for what they say is a below inflation wage rise over the last 15 years. it does come after ambulance unions and groups representing nurses did agree to an offer from the government, an increased pay offer. that is going out to the membership to be balloted. on doctors, the government have described the 35% pay demand from junior doctors as unaffordable. so at the moment it looks like this dispute is going nowhere and it is deadlocked as things stand. jim reed, thank you. a 28—year—old man has appeared in court charged with attempting to murder two elderly men who were set alight in the street after they left mosques in birmingham and london. mohammed abbkr, of gillott road, edgbaston, birmingham, appeared at the city's magistrates' court on thursday where he spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

a senior wealthy nigerian politician, his wife and a medical "middleman" have been found guilty of an organ—trafficking plot, which saw them bring a 21—year—old man to the uk from lagos for his kidney. prosecutors told the old bailey the organ was to be removed and given to the couple's daughter. she was cleared of the same charge. here's our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds. a young nigerian man walks into a west london police station with a remarkable story. he's run away because people want to take his kidney. weeks before, daniel — not his real name — had been selling mobile phone accessories in the markets of lagos. at the other end of the nigerian social scale, ike ekweremadu, a powerful senator, and his wife, beatrice. their daughter, sonia, has a debilitating kidney condition. she needs a transplant. for help, ekweremadu turned to this man, dr obinna obeta... i'm fine, i'm 0k.

..who'd posted his own transplant on facebook afterfinding a young nigerian donor. obeta suggested his donor's friend, daniel. in lagos, the young market trader was told to get some tests. he thought a wealthy man was helping him travel to britain for a better life. the impression that i have is that he was told that there would be some form of employment for him in a manner, some form of assistance. was he told that he would be required to give a kidney? my understanding is that that was never a subject of discussion. he flew to britain, there was nojob. while waiting for meetings with doctors, he slept on a sofa at a flat where dr obeta lived here in south london and he was taken for lunch at this restaurant — and there was a reason for that. sonia ekweremadu was there and her picture was taken with daniel. while she was acquitted,

the court heard her parents and obeta were falsely claiming daniel and sonia were cousins. when daniel met a kidney specialist here at the royal free in london, he says he suddenly realised the real reason he was in britain. the doctor called a halt to the transplant. this kidney trafficking expert says all donors need to have an emotional connection with the recipient, or be a family member. for individuals that come over, we would assume that they've come for a particular purpose and they've given consent and they are willing to engage in that process, so clearly at some point that alarm bell will ring that this is not a valid consent and this person is under duress. sonia ekweremadu's transplant never happened but obinna obeta's did at the royal free, and a key figure in both cases was an nhs doctor from cambridgeshire. chris agbo runs a side business helping foreign patients get treatment in britain.

dr agbo... the court heard he even examined daniel at the flat in south london. i wonder if i could ask you some questions about the role you played in arranging or helping to arrange the donor. so did he know the young donor was being exploited? did you see the donor yourself? any idea why he ended up in this country without realising why he was here? no answers. he is being investigated by the police and general medical council. this unusual case demonstrates what can happen when seriously ill patients are desperate for a cure. tom symonds, bbc news. there's a new compensation scheme opening today for hundreds of postmasters, who were wrongly accused of stealing money from branch accounts in what became known as the horizon it scandal. they won a landmark legal action four years ago that paved the way for convictions to be overturned and the setting up of an official inquiry. but they were never able to recover their losses because their settlement

was swallowed up in legal costs. here's our business correspondent, emma simpson. they uncovered the wrongdoings of the post office. accused of theft when all along faulty software was to blame. cheering. celebrations after winning the first legal battle, but they've had to fight for proper compensation ever since. like sue palmerfrom essex. i wake up in the morning and i think about it. i go to bed and i think about it. and when i'm awake most of the night, that's all you think about. because they kept promising, the government kept promising. she was prosecuted and found not guilty, but still lost everything, including her home. over the years, itjust became worse and worse, itjust... until the high court sheriffs came and they they put all our furniture in the front garden. you know, the final humiliation. and that's when i had to go bankrupt. a year ago, the government said

a new compensation fund was coming. but when sue got her interim payment in december, a big chunk of it went to pay off her bankruptcy debts instead. ifound i owe more than i started off owing 17 years ago because of the interest over the years. so the money went to fees. that doesn't seem right or fair. none of this is fair, is it? but the post office minister is promising sue and everyone else will finally get full and fair compensation, whatever the cost. we're keen to put them back into the place they were prior to this mistreatment happening by the post office. so we're very clear about that. for example, if people lost their house through bankruptcy, that financial position should be restored. so you're going to put it right? absolutely. but for some, it's already too late. this solicitor represents many of the victims. clients are mine, are dying before they ever receive compensation. i

these are mature people. many of them took on their post offices and their 405 and 505 i and 605 as retirement bu5ine55e5. they're getting no younger and they need help now, . not next week, not next month, and not next year. _ the government wants to get all the claims settled by next august. sue is desperate to move on from her tiny council flat. you can't give me back the years, but you can make the years i've got left a lot more... ..comfortable. i don't want fortunes. i want a home with the front door. that's what i want. the commander of ukraine's ground troops claims russian forces trying to capture the besieged eastern city of bakhmut are taking considerable losses and running out of steam. our correspondent quentin sommerville, and camera operator darren conway, have been to the front line where some of the fiercest fighting

of the war has taken place. explosion. this is dimas daily duty. whoa! for months, the first separate tank brigade have been under russian attack, but they've barely given the enemy an inch of ukrainian soil. this way, come on. run, 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. ..waiting for movement. get in, get down. those two russian shells that have just come in, i think it's tank fire. i think they're very close to these positions. it 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. oh, you all right? yeah. keep down. the bombardments never stop. explosion. quentin sommerville and his camera operator darren conway with ukrainian troops on the frontline — and you can see their full report on tonight's six o'clock news here on bbc one. the time is 1.17. our top story this lunchtime... the bank of england has put

interest rates up again. they're now at 4.25%, the highest they've been for 14 years. and still to come — how can we improve the health of rivers and wetlands and help restore the nature around us? coming up on the bbc news channel — just over 100 days since the end of their world cup, england will start theirjourney towards the next major tournament. they're in italy for a crucial euro 2024 qualifier tonight. concerns have been raised about the environmental impact of the flights that premier league football teams take to their matches. clubs often fly to games even for very short trips. figures obtained by bbc sport show that over a two—month period, 81 short—haul flights were taken across 100 games, including domestic cup competitions. on average the flights were 43 minutes. one lasted just 27 minutes. our sports editor,

dan roan, has the details. everton arriving by coach for their match against chelsea at the weekend. but this was just the final step of theirjourney to stamford bridge, having flown to london for the fixture 24 hours earlier, and they're far from alone. the bbc�*s uncovered evidence that in just two months there were 81 domestic flights by premier league clubs across just 100 matches, including cup competitions, and that the shortest flight was just 27 minutes. one top manager admits it's an issue the game must now tackle. i think it's something we have to do better with, is my personal opinion. that's not to say it's straightforward, because there's factors, but i think it's an area we can improve. but it's notjust the planes that take teams to fixtures. a positioning flight, as it's known, arriving at liverpool airport last week to pick up everton forjust a 35—minute journey south for that game against chelsea, one of 37 such flights, often largely empty,

that we found evidence of in the two—month window. premier league teams taking short domestic flights like this one to and from matches, despite it being worse for the environment than travelling by road or rail, has raised serious questions overjust how committed the top of the sport truly is to sustainability. last weekend, a positioning flight came all the way from inverness to take bournemouth to birmingham for a match against aston villa, the plane going on empty to liverpool. the next day, another positioning flight from aberdeen picked the team up and took them home before returning back to scotland. league one forest green rovers are known as the country's most sustainable club and its owner told me he was dismayed by ourfindings. i think it's shocking data injust two months. it's an illusion to think there is a game for a flight of that duration. you know, modern coaches are very comfortable and aren't going to impair the performance of a player over that

relatively short distance. the carbon impact is one thing and it might not be the biggest thing, but the optics, you've got premier league teams setting a very bad example for the rest of the country. the fa says it's the responsibility of each club to make their own travel choices and some in the game point out these flights make up a small proportion of domestic air travel. in a statement, the premier league said it recognises the need to take action on climate change and is committed to reducing its overall climate impact. this includes aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. so what did these fans at stamford bridge feel about the issue? the plane's just easier, isn't it? you know, the train, sometimes trains get cancelled much more than planes, and then people get piled on. if climate change is a big topic for people, then they should be trying to set an example like lots of other organisations in the world. a generation ago it was all very different. what'5 the theory then behind hiring a plane to fly— bournemouth to an away match? it's a bit extravagant. yeah, it's only a one off, though, tony. but these days, with more money and more matches in football than ever, persuading top clubs to remain grounded could be a challenge. dan roan, bbc news.

official statistics show that at least 2.1 million people in the uk used a food bank over the 12 months to march 2022. the data — from the department for work and pensions — is the first time that the government has published figures on food bank usage. the period does not include the impact of soaring prices over the past year. our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan, is here. tell us more about what these figures tell us.— tell us more about what these fiuures tell us. ., , ., figures tell us. people on universal credit and income _ figures tell us. people on universal credit and income support, - figures tell us. people on universal credit and income support, around | credit and income support, around four times more likely to use a food bank than the uk average household, and bear in mind that while that will obviously include people who do not have a job, it will include a lot of people as well who do have a job. about 40% of people on universal credit, for instance, are in work. the data show is about 4.2 million children in the uk in the year to march 2022 were living in

poverty, that's up about 8% and includes around 800,000 children who were living in households that needed a food bank. now, what you said at the outset it clear, it does not include the impact of the past year's soaring prices, the impact that has had on family budgets on the main food bank providers are all saying they are seeing increases in demand over the past 12 months, so the expectation is that in the year's time these figures will be higher than they are now. michael, thank ou higher than they are now. michael, thank you very _ higher than they are now. michael, thank you very much _ higher than they are now. michael, thank you very much indeed. - the labour leader, sir keir starmer, has promised to halve violence against women and girls and knife crime if he wins the next general election. in a speech in stoke on trent, he said his party would restore confidence in police "to its highest—ever level", and "make britain's streets safe". we will halve incidents of knife crime. three, we will reverse the collapse in the proportion of crime solved, and four, by solving more crime, by reducing the number of victims who drop out of the system, we will halve the levels of violence

against women and girls. a bbc newsnight investigation has found hundreds of teenagers at risk of homelessness have been placed in adult accommodation, such as hostels. charities say it's never appropriate to place 16 or 17—year—olds in adult settings without specialist support, as they could be exploited. today, the government announced its going to ban unregulated accommodation for some children in this age group. here's anna collinson. that was always one of my favourite photographs. from the day he was born ben nelson—roux's parents say he was their sunshine. he loved his hat5. but by 16 he was a victim of criminal exploitation, was heavily reliant on drugs and alcohol, and had suicidal thoughts. it's really difficult when your child gets to a point that you can't keep them safe, because they won't let you,

and he was so much bigger and stronger than me. desperate, kate and barry turned to their local authority who must legally provide accommodation to 16 and 17—year—olds whose family relationships have broken down and risk homelessness. north yorkshire county council told us ben was offered accommodation under section 20 of the children's act, which entitled him to a package of support, but they say he declined the offer. his parents argue he wasn't properly informed. in february 2020, ben moved into this homeless hostel, described as a temporary last resort by his local councils. a lot of the people in there had suffered significant trauma. a lot of the people in there were dealing with serious 5ub5tance addiction. it was taken by one of them to a crack den. we wanted him in secure accommodation because we thought something seriously bad was going to happen. just two months later, ben was found dead in his room. it was really obvious that it was far too late. when you lose a child the one thing

you have is guilt, you know, i feel guilty i wasn't there. how often are children like ben put in such adult worlds? newsnight sent a freedom of information request to all 333 councils in england, and based on data from the 276 that responded, 53416 and 17—year—olds had been placed in adult accommodation without contracted care and support over the past five years, despite government guidance advising against it. and the number of teenagers affected is likely to be even higher, as a third of councils who responded told us they don't even collect the data. ben had taken multiple drugs before his death, but his family will never know how he died because a full postmortem wasn't carried out due to covid restrictions. a coroner ruled it can't be concluded that ben's accommodation contributed to his death, but his family disagree and fear

for others like him. he was basically dumped in there because it was the only accommodation they had. there was absolutely nothing additional put in place to make things safer for a child in an adult hostel, nothing. kate roux ending that report by anna collinson. you can see more on that story on newsnight on bbc two tonight at 10:30pm. thousands of people are again taking to the streets of france on a ninth which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64. president macron has said he's prepared to accept being unpopular because his pension reforms are necessary and in the national interest. how can we help restore the nature around us? a plan for doing just that is calling for urgent action on everything from restoring the health of rivers and wetlands, to improving access

to locally—grown food. the people's plan says access to the environment should be a human right. the proposals have been backed by conservation charities. our science correspondent, helen briggs, reports. 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's something that 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 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 two fifths 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. families and community groups from across the uk went out last night in search of the new moon. from scarborough, dundee and cambridge, these are some images from people who managed to see the new crescent. ramadan, marked by muslims across the world, is determined by the lunar calendar — so spotting a fine crescent means the new month has begun. time for a look at the weather. here's elizabeth rizzini. you haven't got a new moon, but you

have