hello from the bbc sport centre. we're starting with the milan derby. and it's inter who hold the advantage, in their champions league semifinal. through edin dzeko and then jus a few minutes later former united and arsenal midfielder henrikh mkyiaryan made it two. inter now the firm favourties ahead of next weeks second leg. with the winner facing either real madrid or manchester city. joining us now is european football journalist nicky bandini.

i think the manager might have sussed this out about milan because they have these slow starts because in the super cup game enter scored three times in the first 20 minutes and i think it was the strategy in this game. —— inter. the atmosphere was so loud and intimidating at san siro last night that i think the manager knew if you managed to burst that bubble and take the energy at the stadium it could really change the stadium it could really change the tie and i think that is what happened. d0 the tie and i think that is what happened-— the tie and i think that is what hauened. ~ ., happened. do you think that inter wish they had _ happened. do you think that inter wish they had scored _ happened. do you think that inter wish they had scored more - happened. do you think that inter wish they had scored more than l happened. do you think that inter. wish they had scored more than one goal. wish they had scored more than one coal. , ., , . wish they had scored more than one coal. , . , . , ., goal. even the penalty incident, you could say that _ goal. even the penalty incident, you could say that martinez _ goal. even the penalty incident, you could say that martinez goes - goal. even the penalty incident, you

could say that martinez goes down | could say that martinez goes down easily and i see not better to stay on his feet and get away his shot? there were chances to bury it and i think it would have said even at three orfour goals to think it would have said even at three or four goals to nil its not over yet but three goals would have tested the opposition and in the last round with inter the got two goals up against benfica and then the return match was a draw at three all which shows they are not vulnerable and perhaps if milan find a way we could still see something in this time. flan a way we could still see something in this time-— in this time. can milan get back into this? _ in this time. can milan get back into this? i _ in this time. can milan get back into this? i am _ in this time. can milan get back into this? i am sceptical - in this time. can milan get back| into this? i am sceptical because in this time. can milan get back. into this? i am sceptical because i don't think— into this? i am sceptical because i don't think milan _ into this? i am sceptical because i don't think milan i've _ into this? i am sceptical because i don't think milan i've built - into this? i am sceptical because i don't think milan i've built to - into this? i am sceptical because i don't think milan i've built to play| don't think milan i've built to play from behind in such a way. they have such rapid forwards and they can really play that fast break

counterattacking style very effectively but without the ball they like something and even when their best forward is not there having missed the first leg through a groin strain. and also a midfielder is injured so he had to go off after 50 minutes so the injuries are really practical for them. more european football tonight, starting with the europa league semifinals. juventus will aim to overcome europa league specialists sevilla later. while, last years europa conference league winners roma welcome bayer leverkusen. west ham can move a step closer, to their first silverware, since 1980, as they take on dutch side, az alkmaar in the first leg of their europa conference league semifinal. david moyes�* side will be buoyed by their massive win in the premier leaue on sunday against manchester united which moved them seven points

above the releation zone with three games to play. now they'll be looking to end a four—decade wait for a trophy, with success in europe. moyes knows it's going to be tough, though. the team is doing well and have momentum in a super division with great teams. we are going to come up against a team with young and hungry players playing really well at the moment and we are really going to have to try to use experience which undoubtedly we will have may be more experience than the will have but overall that doesn't always get you the result and we have to try and use it. and, brazil are launching a national investigation into football match—fixing. this comes after a request from

the countrys soccer confederation —— this comes after a request from the country's soccer confederation and follows the decisions by several top—flight brazilian clubs to suspend a handful of players. brazilian state prosecutors have charged 16 people including seven professional players, wth alleged match—fixing in what is being described as one of the largest scandals since the country legalised sports gambling in 2018. elsewhere, in tennis, organisers of last week's madrid 0pen have apologised to players and fans for, what they say, was the "unacceptable decision" to not allow the women's doubles finalists to make presentation speeches. victoria azarenka and beatriz haddad maia beat americansjessica pegula and coco gauff in the final on sunday but were denied the opportunity to speak to afterwards. all finalists in the singles and the men's doubles addressed the crowd after their matches. the professional tennis players�* association said the womens doubles players had been denied "the right to freedom of expression". 0rganisers say they have apologised directly to the four players involved. and that's all the sport for now. we'll be back later.

let's ta ke let's take you to the city of london and this is the scene live outside the bank of england when it midday it is widely expected to announce a rise in interest rates for the 12th consecutive time, they currently stand at 4.25% and the expectation as they could rise by one quarter of as they could rise by one quarter of a percentage point to 4.5%. rates have been on the up since december 2021 as the bank tries to dampen stubbornly high rates of inflation which currently stand above 10%. over the next hour we will bring that decision life here on bbc news and talks to our economic editor and gets lots of analysis around the world. if rates rise it will be the 12th consecutive hike since december 2021 meaning mortgage payments could rise further for many customers.

here is hannah miller. this is the first home she has owned. —— he has owned what with his girlfriend two months ago. since they agreed their mortgage monthly payments have gone up mortgage monthly payments have gone up twice along with the base rate of interest set by the bank of england. when we were coming to find a mortgage the fixed rates were astronomically high and figured if the bank of england base rate goes up the bank of england base rate goes up another two or 3% we would be better off staying in a tracker mortgage so that is what we stayed for. it is a difficult situation because you can't plan how much we have every month.— because you can't plan how much we have every month. when you hear the bank of england _ have every month. when you hear the bank of england base _ have every month. when you hear the bank of england base rate _ have every month. when you hear the bank of england base rate is - have every month. when you hear the bank of england base rate is likely - bank of england base rate is likely to go up again today how do you feel? might you can get frustrated by it but can't dwell on it. the base rate is currently set at 4.25%. if it goes up to 4.5% later today that will be the 12th time in a row it has increased, affecting 4

million people with a variable mortgage from nearly 2 million to take out a new mortgage this year. the bank of england says people who need to re—negotiate the share will find themselves paying around £250 per month more than they're used if you stop the bank of england puts up interest rates in an attempt to slow down the rise in the cost of living and of people have less money to spend the 30 because it forces prices to come down. it is forcing this man to stick to the budget. we have to this man to stick to the budget. - have to make cutbacks in savings and cut down on holiday and luxuries we might not be able to afford but at the same time i understand there are people much less fortunate situations.— people much less fortunate situations. ., , ., situations. with households and businesses _ situations. with households and businesses now _ situations. with households and businesses now facing _ situations. with households and businesses now facing interest i situations. with households and - businesses now facing interest rates at their highest for almost 15 years many will look out today for further the end of rate rises is on site. ——

is in sight. the bank of england at midday in central london, the monetary policy committee will make the decision. the bank rate is already at its highest level for 1h years and has risen consistently in response to the soaring cost of living crisis and rates of inflation which have remained stubbornly high in large part due to those fuel prices increasing at their highest rate for a0 five years. —— a5 years. the rate came down from 10.a% in february and it was thought in march it would fall below 10% but it did not so there has been a series of bank rate increases since december 2021 attempting to control inflation and the bank of england really does see that as part of its core policy

that it has to do. it is independent from the government but has been tasked very much with trying to bring inflation down. let's go to our cost of living correspondence. welcome to you. take a three what we are expecting and what impact that will have on millions of people with fixed and tracker mortgages. as you mentioned finances very much under pressure from rising prices, particularly at the grocery shop. food prices rising at their fastest rate for many decades. as a result thatis rate for many decades. as a result that is why the monetary policy committee is looking to raise rates. we expect them to raise rates in a few minutes. the impact is directly on the cost of borrowing so mortgages the clear one but also new loans, credit card debt and student

loans, credit card debt and student loans, all of those can be affected by higher rates particularly for mortgage holders. 0ne by higher rates particularly for mortgage holders. one and a half million people on variable or tracker deals, if you are a tracker your monthly payment if it goes up as expected would be £2a higher and compared to the end of 2021 more than £a00 per month than people were paying the it saw a clear impact their and a clear impact as people look to remortgage and if they are on fixed deals they will wonder when the interest rate rises stop. they will look out for that today, any hint from the governor whether these interest rate rises may come to an end. also flip side, savers will look at this and see that may the returns they receive on savings will

improve but inflation is eating away at the buying power of those savings as time goes on. and i have been complaints from savers that these are being passed on by the banks in many instances. a lot of pressure on banks to do that and always looked at closely and rates for borrowers and maybe a bit slower or not at all for savers. the treasury committee has been looking at this very closely and brought in a lot of bank bosses to ask them why they were not putting up the saving rates and making things better for savers and have written more letters this week to other banks to ask why this is happening and it is pressure for savers as well because if they have savings already the buying power is eaten away and they will want to see those rates improve as the bank of england raises the base rate, the bank rate, the benchmark rate. we

will be back with you a little later. take us through how the bank of england makes this decision. the monetary policy committee, what do they weigh up on the decision that affects the lives of so many millions of people? they weigh up what they think inflation will be in the future and the challenge is inflation is always looking backwards as an indicator so we look at how far prices have risen in the months gone by, the 12 months in recent times, and i will skip forward. to address that question we will look at this graph which shows where inflation was running two until march this year. prices have been rising up until march 2023 and inflation rising at 10.1% and prices rising at that percentage, a massive increase where inflation is against a year ago. the bank of england

target is 2% so we are five times above that rate and some inflation, food inflation up until march 2023 was running at 19.2% so nearly twice the overall rate of inflation in the bank of england seeks to increase rates and essentially make people less able to spend money to reduce demand on the economy and the more it increases rates the theory goes the more prices will be inclined not to rise as fast as they have been. in recent times i will skip back a couple of graphs. this is the interest rate which is 0.1% until december 2021 and has been rising very rapidly until here, a.25%. in recent times it has been very low. back to the financial crisis of 2008 when that was the last time interest rates at this level. they have been

really low since then. looking further back to the early 90s, interest rates were much higher than this. a.25% might feel high in terms of recent times, but back here in the 90s, it was much higher still. we are expecting that decision any more moment now. we will give you that news as soon as it comes into us, waiting for it to drop on the news agencies. we are expecting a 12 time in a row, that decision. the bank of england making that very important decision that impacts on so many people's lives, on borrowers and savers, of course. the bank of england interest rate currently at a.25%, will it go up for another time in a row? it has already gone up 12 times over the past year or so. it has risen to

a.5%. risen by a quarter of a