account inaccurate details of his account at coutts part of the natwest group. he now wants more resignations. i think this brings into question the whole of the board. you know, the chairman of the natwest group, the ceo of coutts, the subsidiary. frankly, because of how they behaved, i think they should all go. rishi sunak said it was right that dame alison step down — we'll be asking why the government felt the need to intervene. also on the programme... the man who spent 17 years in prison convicted of a rape he says he didn't commit — today the court of appeal considers whether to quash his conviction. the terrible suffering of yemen's youngest citizens — as the civil war leaves parents unable to feed their children. and the race to rent, the numbers feeling private properties has tripled since 2019. on the bbc news channel, spain and japan become the first to progress

to the women's world cup, as ireland look to stay in the tournament. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. nigel farage has called for a wider shake—up of the natwest board, following the resignation of its chief executive dame alison rose after days of pressure on the leadership of the banking group. dame alison resigned after she admitted she'd made a "serious error ofjudgment" when she discussed with a bbc journalist mr farage�*s relationship with the private bank coutts, owned by natwest group. this morning the prime minister said he believed dame alison was right to step down. here's our business correspondent, emma simpson. the most high—profile female ceo in the country, she made history when she became the first woman to take

the topjob at she became the first woman to take the top job at the bank. now she's out with immediate effect. it the topjob at the bank. now she's out with immediate effect.- out with immediate effect. it was ri . ht that out with immediate effect. it was right that alice _ out with immediate effect. it was right that alice and _ out with immediate effect. it was right that alice and the _ out with immediate effect. it was right that alice and the chief - right that alice and the chief executive of natwest resigned. the government has been clear throughout that it government has been clear throughout thatitis government has been clear throughout that it is wrong to relieve someone's bank account because of their political views or something that they said. 50. their political views or something that they said.— their political views or something that they said. so, how did we get here? nigel— that they said. so, how did we get here? nigel farage _ that they said. so, how did we get here? nigel farage posted - that they said. so, how did we get here? nigel farage posted this - here? nigel farage posted this video on during the 29th saying his account at coutts have been closed and he feared it might be the because of his political views. this is the prestigious bank for the wealthy owned by natwest. a few days later the bbc business editor put out this tweet quoting people familiar with the situation who rejected the notion that the decision was in any way political. it was for commercial reasons. but the nigel farage obtained coutts documents which showed while commercial reasons to play a part,

the bank was also worried his views were at odds with its position as an inclusive organisation. that pressure grew. then at quarter to six last night, alison rose admitted she was the source of the bbc story saying, i made a serious error of judgment in discussing stiffer —— discussing nigel farage's relationship with the bank. at 1:29am the board announced alison rose was stepping down by mutual consent. nigel farage says it doesn't go far enough. the first rule of banking _ doesn't go far enough. the first rule of banking is _ doesn't go far enough. the first rule of banking is client - rule of banking is client confidentiality and she over a sociable dinner at simonjack the bbc business editor clearly said some things that went very wise. a bank is a moral arbiter of who they deem to be suitable as a customer or

not. , . , . not. this has highlighted a wider issue of freedom _ not. this has highlighted a wider issue of freedom of _ not. this has highlighted a wider issue of freedom of expression l not. this has highlighted a wider. issue of freedom of expression and the right of banks to choose their customers. in the right of banks to choose their customa— customers. in any country of the world, customers. in any country of the world. it's _ customers. in any country of the world. it's part _ customers. in any country of the world, it's part of— customers. in any country of the world, it's part of the _ customers. in any country of the world, it's part of the core - world, it's part of the core infrastructure and ordinary people no matter how important or unimportant they are must have the right to a banking service. that messaue right to a banking service. that message was _ right to a banking service. that message was also _ right to a banking service. that message was also delivered by the city ministered to the banking sector in a meeting today. as this banking boss departs, the government hopes lessons can be learned. our chief political correspondent nick eardleyjoins us from westminster now. why did the governmemt feel the need to intervene? well, after the natwest board initially said last night it still had full faith in dame alison, there was real concern in government. the prime minister was worried, the chancellor was the end. those concerns were related to the bank by

treasury officials and it seems that that pressure helped bring it about, helped make dame alison make that decision. so, why is there all that concerning government? number 10 has said that everybody in public life including business leaders need to act responsibly and with integrity. the inference is that by discussing nigel farage's banking arrangements with a journalist, dame alison was falling short of those standards. secondly, there has been concern in government for some time about this issue of so—called de—banking, of people having banking services are removed. it's something the government started looking into earlier this year and the row with nigel farage which has blown up into the open. ministers say it's completely unacceptable, keir starmer told the bbc earlier that he agreed. there are going to be reforms, there are going to be

changes to the system. the city minister has been meeting with banks to explain them and the hope is it makes situations like this a lot less likely. makes situations like this a lot less likely-— a man who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he says he did not commit has suffered a historic injustice, the court of appeal has been told. andy malkinson has been fighting for 20 years to clear his name following a 2003 investigation by greater manchester police. the crown prosecution service accepts that the dna of another man has also now been found on the victim's clothing. our home and legal correspondent, dominic casciani, is outside the court of appeal. tell us what happened in court today. tell us what happened in court toda . ~ �* , tell us what happened in court toda . ~ 3 , tell us what happened in court toda . ~ �*, , ., today. well, it's been quite an extraordinary _ today. well, it's been quite an extraordinary morning in - today. well, it's been quite an extraordinary morning in courtj today. well, it's been quite an - extraordinary morning in court where andy malkinson�*s legal team has described this as the most troubling case which has wide implications for justice. a historic case and an historic injustice, they say. the

reason this is taking so long is that although the cps have now accepted for some months that there is dna from the time on the clothing of the victim which points towards another man not to andy malkinson. his team are in court today to hammer home a point which they want to show that every single part of this case against him was flawed and they are squarely blaming greater manchester police. edward henry casey said grey failures in the case must lie at the door of the police force but there are also questions force but there are also questions for why it's taken so long for these allegations to come back to the court of appeal and this conviction to be overturned. we expect a result shortly after lunch.— competition for homes to rent in the private sector has at least tripled in every area of britain, compared with before the pandemic, according to new figures. data commissioned by the bbc reveals that each home

available to rent receives, on average, 20 requests for a viewing, compared to six in 2019. in the north west of england, the pressure is even greater. our cost of living correspondent colletta smith is in manchester for us now. there is huge pressure on renters across the uk at the moment, despite the fact there is so much development going on in central manchester as there is across the uk. the number of properties available to rent has fallen over the last three years by 45%. that's happened at the same time as in the north—west we've huge increase in the number of people wanting to rent, a 53% increase. that is pushed up rent, a 53% increase. that is pushed up prices for everyone and even if you do have the money to get hold of a property, making sure your application is at the front has become even more difficult. and then you come to this amazing kitchen. |

look at this. wow. it's not easy to rent anywhere at the moment. prices are going up, landlords are selling up and there's more people hoping for a dream home. i could see me cooking in here. but here on the outskirts of preston, there's a particular problem. nonstop. we've had phone calls, we've had people coming into the office. we've got loads of emails coming through. how many applications do you reckon you'll get for a place like this? well, so far, we've got about 55 people who are interested in viewing. applications, we'll probably get, i would say, 20 out of the 50. wow! figures from rightmove show that there are now 30 enquiries for each rental property in the northwest of england. you've got your own en suite. that's twice the amount of interest for properties in london. demi and andrew know that only too well. but after so many viewings, they're holding their breath again. what's that process been like, demi? stressful. very stressful. it's been about two, - three months we've been looking, haven't we ? yeah. you just go round in circles.

it is very frustrating. some estate agents don't actually get back in touch with you. we've found that out. so even with the two wages coming in, it's not straightforward to get hold of somewhere to rent, then? no, definitely not. and you can have all the money in the world, but it'll still be a long process. although you're joining a longer queue of people trying to rent properties here in the northwest of england, elsewhere in the country, your money doesn't stretch nearly as far. because in london it's all about price. for us, it meant that we had to offer over asking price by £200 a month. claudia and her boyfriend have just got a one—bed flat, but its cost them half their monthly income. we saw this flat, we loved it. we put in an asking price offer, which was 1,950 a month, and we got outbid by an over asking price offer. so we ended up having to pay 2,150 a month instead of the asking price. although london prices are the most, price rises are happening everywhere. so we think that rents will probably

keep rising around the 5% mark both this year and next year, and that will outpace house price growth. and so much of that comes down to the supply issue that we're facing here across great britain. and the fact that landlord costs are rising, too. however long the list, demi and andrew haven't given up hope. it's lovely. i could see us here. yeah, i could see us here. coletta smith, bbc news, in leyland. and if you're worried about renting and the cost of living generally, there's more tips on the bbc news website on the tackling it together section. the prime minister will appear in front of the infected blood inquiry later this afternoon. it's thought that 30,000 people in the uk were given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and �*80s. bereaved familes want rishi sunak to accept compensation recommendations made three months ago by the inquiry�*s chairman. some victims have received financial support but not all have been fully compensated.

more than a0 people have died in algeria, italy and greece as mediterranean wildfires threaten villages and holiday resorts, and thousands have been evacuated. greece is preparing for more flights taking people out of rhodes, as fires also rage on the islands of corfu and evia. for the moment, the current long heatwave across the mediterranean shows no let—up — the dark colours on this map show the areas most in dangerfrom fires. temperatures are expected to rise above 44 celsius in parts of greece again today. richard galpin has the latest. this is the desperate situation near lisbon. firefighters have been battling the flames with local people trying to help in any way they can. some have been overwhelmed by what's happening and angry the

fire engines did not arrive earlier. this is not right. we've been here for hours. the firemen waited for the flames to come. the interior minister should be here now. maw; minister should be here now. many have had no — minister should be here now. many have had no choice _ minister should be here now. many have had no choice but _ minister should be here now. many have had no choice but to - minister should be here now. many have had no choice but to move away. the elderly and vulnerable being helped to safety. in algeria it's a different story. most of the flames have been extinguished here. but there have been casualties. at least 34 there have been casualties. at least 3a people have lost their lives in the fires. 34 people have lost their lives in the fires. , ., , ., . the fires. they told us to collect recious the fires. they told us to collect precious items _ the fires. they told us to collect precious items and _ the fires. they told us to collect precious items and leave - the fires. they told us to collect precious items and leave our i the fires. they told us to collect - precious items and leave our homes. when we returned we found everything was burnt and there was nothing left. no furniture, no money, no sheep, everything was burnt. the island of sicily has been particularly badly affected. thick smoke is reported to be drifting

across palermo. a couple in their 70s have been found dead in a fire gutted holiday home near the capital. amongst the many countries affected around the mediterranean, the wildfires are also raging near the historic city of dubrovnik in croatia. and the great fire service has warned that day will be one of the most dangerous wildfires on the island of rhodes. a spokesman said strong and dry winds still pose a serious threat. richard galpin, bbc news. our europe correspondentjenny hill is on rhodes for us this afternoon. what's the situation today? well, the authorities have now declared a state of emergency on the island of rhodes and we have seen why. we are on the south—east of the island. we went to take a closer

look and even as we drove down the roads, flames suddenly reared up over the tree line almost within seconds. we saw the battles of the firefighters are having to try to stop those flames from spreading. you could hear the crackling as they consumed the dry pine forests, the chainsaws trying to desperately cut down the trees in the path of the fire to create a kind of firebreak. at the same time, firefighters with hoses trained, helicopters dumping water over the top. very difficult situation for them to deal with is the fires spread. they are hoping for some respite tomorrow. the winds are starting to drop too. this is all happening at the height of the summer season. you can see the destruction, these are not the kind of images you want to see.-

destruction, these are not the kind of images you want to see. thank you very much- — of images you want to see. thank you very much- the _ of images you want to see. thank you very much. the time _ of images you want to see. thank you very much. the time is _ of images you want to see. thank you very much. the time isjust _ of images you want to see. thank you very much. the time isjust after- very much. the time is just after quarter past one. our top story this afternoon. the chief executive of natwest resigns after admitting a mistake in speaking of nigel farage's relationship with the bank. and still to come, we'll be live in paris as events are held to make one year to go to the olympic games. coming up on bbc news, england name an unchanged starting xi for the fifth ashes test — as ben stokes looks to draw the series and deny australia a first ashes series win away from home since 2001. after eight years of civil war in yemen, 21 million people — that s two thirds of the population — need humanitarian assistance. nearly half a million yemeni children under the age of five are expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year. but international aid is shrinking, with the united nations only raising a quarter of the funds it needs for yemen this year. hunger — always a problem in yemen — has been compounded by the conflict.

iranian—backed houthi rebels seized the capital sanaa in 2014, and still control this area in purple. a saudi—led coalition — backed by the uk and the us? — intervened in 2015 aiming to reinstall the internationally recognised government. it now controls the areas in grey. our senior international correspondent orla guerin reports from hodeidah province in south—west yemen, and a warning you may find the images of malnourished children in her report distressing. imagine if this was where you had to turn for help, if this was your local clinic. every child here is in need. like safaa, wasting away at 13 months. war, hungerand poverty are intertwined here.

this is a room full of desperation. mothers have come here to show us how sick, how thin their children are. but this clinic is normally closed. it's been opened todayjust because we are here. and doctors say they'll be able to do nothing for these children except send them home. tell me, doctor, why is the clinic normally closed? dr ali bin ali says, "the staff are on strike because they haven't been paid for the past four months and can't feed their own children." neither can safaa's worried mother, umm ahmed. her baby girl is severely malnourished and has a liver complaint. translation: some days| she doesn't have any food, when her father is at sea. when he comes back, we buy food for her. i'm very worried about her illness. i'm afraid for her. i want to get help for her,

but our situation is hard. the mothers drift away, left to fend for themselves. increasingly, this is the story of yemen. there are deep cuts in aid across the country. and as foreign donors hesitate, safaa and many more fight for life. her mother knows where this road can lead to. she has already buried four of her nine children because of disease and malnutrition. back home, safaa is in the arms of herfather, anwar talib. he is a third—generation fisherman whose life is overshadowed by war. he tells me he can no longer send his children to school and it's a battle to feed them. translation: i don't work every day.

i go to sea for 15—20 days and catch what i can, god willing. sometimes i find fish, sometimes i don't. for the past three months, i had no work. he says he has already married off two of his older daughters because he couldn't provide for them. the girls are 14 and 15. for safaa, there is some hope. we bring her parents to a local clinic that is functioning. her tiny body is racked with pain. doctors say she needs to go to a specialist hospital in aden, a five—hour drive away. that's a journey her parents can't afford. later, we learn they have

taken safaa back home. orla guerin, bbc news, hodeidah, yemen. our senior international correspondent orla guerin there, reporting on the terrible suffering of children in yemen. here, the police in england will no longer respond to concerns about mental health unless there's a risk to life or a possible crime. but charities warn that mental health services which are already stretched will have to respond instead. here's our home affairs correspondent tom symonds. i'd say i deal with at least one mental health job a shift. quite recently we had a man hanging out of a first floor window, bathroom window, trying to get out to kill himself. pc april clarke, four years in thejob, during which she's become used to handling suicide attempts. i feel responsible for their life at that moment. like, because it is quite literally in my hands, especially with that incident, like, you can't let them go.

you can't let anything happen to them. you've just got to do what you can, and reassure them and their family until the right help can come along. a life at risk, that's always a job for the police, but many other calls to 999 are far less serious. when people are sort of going home for the weekend, on the sort of 9—to—5 hoursjob, and they don't want the sort of worry on themselves for the weekend, they'll ring us and just get us to go and do a little check. the police have become the primary emergency service for mental health. but that will now change. there's a question the police are increasingly going to be asking — is this just a concern about someone's welfare or is there a genuine risk to life? and the place where that question is going to be asked most of all is right here... the police 999 control room. call handlers like tim brown are training to decide whether a life is at risk or a crime being committed. if not...

so it doesn't meet the threshold for attendance and as a result we will not be attending. 0k? so i would probably get in contact with the ambulance and then they can make the referrals to mental health if that is required, 0k? but can the care services cope with the extra demand? some charities say not at the moment. the risk is huge to the public, so what we cannot have is the public carrying the risk of a situation when public services are not meeting their needs. that is what we are faced with if we move to this approach tomorrow. the faced with if we move to this a- roach tomorrow. , ., approach tomorrow. the government has previously _ approach tomorrow. the government has previously announced _ approach tomorrow. the government has previously announced funding - approach tomorrow. the government has previously announced funding forj has previously announced funding for new services, like this so called crisis cafe, a haven for people struggling to cope, and mental health ambulances.

but the government believes this is a change which will save a million police hours a year to spend catching criminals. tom symonds, bbc news. now a look at some other stories making the news today: a consultation on the closure of ticket offices at railway stations across england will be extended until september. the rail delivery group says many offices are increasingly under—used, with most people buying tickets online orfrom machines. but there have been complaints particularly from disabled people that they'll be adversely affected. junior doctors in england are to stage a four—day strike in august, from 7am on friday 11 august and end at 7am on tuesday 15 august. the british medical association have asked for a 35% pay rise. the government is giving them 6% this year, plus a lump sum of £1,250. england's lionesses are preparing for their second game of the world cup —

they play denmark on friday, it follows their win against haiti at the weekend. they're staying north of sydney at a hotel that has been adapted especially for them and has everything to keep them entertained — from arcade games to craft areas. our sports correspondent katie gornall sent this report from inside the camp. ina room in a room with a view. nestled on the central coast is england's new base, where they will stay for the rest of their tournament. and you can see why. inside, every effort has been made to make the players feel at home. there is space to unwind, to socialise... and one of their favourite things at base camp is this. in fact there is something for everyone. i is this. in fact there is something for everyone-— is this. in fact there is something for everyone. is this. in fact there is something for eve one. . ,_, , for everyone. i have rediscovered my love for friendship _ love for friendship bracelet making. i used to do them at school, and everyone was like, teach me! so i'm taking commission now.— everyone was like, teach me! so i'm taking commission now. every room is named after— taking commission now. every room is named after a — taking commission now. every room is named after a lioness _ taking commission now. every room is named after a lioness legend. - taking commission now. every room is named after a lioness legend. the - named after a lioness legend. the scot room is kitted out with arcade

games and even a mini library. no one is getting bored here.- one is getting bored here. having that home away _ one is getting bored here. having that home away from _ one is getting bored here. having that home away from home - one is getting bored here. having that home away from home is - one is getting bored here. having - that home away from home is becoming a crucial performance factor and that's also why we put so much effort in it. that's also why we put so much effort in it— effort in it. there is so much attention — effort in it. there is so much attention to _ effort in it. there is so much attention to detail— effort in it. there is so much attention to detail at - effort in it. there is so much i attention to detail at england's base camp, but one of the really special things is this portrait of all the england players as they play for their very first clubs where they started out. you have lucy bronze, millie bright, and it's all designed to remind the players where they have come from and the journey it has taken them to get here. on theirfirst stop in it has taken them to get here. on their first stop in australia, a penalty was enough to see them past haiti, but they remain without a goal from haiti, but they remain without a goalfrom open play since haiti, but they remain without a goal from open play since april. haiti, but they remain without a goalfrom open play since april. the goal from open play since april. the thin in goal from open play since april. tue: thing in football, goal from open play since april. tte: thing in football, you 905l from open play since april. ht thing in football, you go 905l from open play since april. tast thing in football, you go through spells where you might not score as many goals as you would like but the chances are created and that's the most important thing.— chances are created and that's the most important thing. away from the itch, most important thing. away from the pitch. england _ most important thing. away from the pitch, england have _ most important thing. away from the pitch, england have reached - most important thing. away from the pitch, england have reached a - most important thing. away from the pitch, england have reached a new i pitch, england have reached a new level. now theyjust need to keep on winning. it's one year until the paris

olympics begin and organisers have given themselves ambitious targets for the event's sustainability. the opening ceremony will be the first to take place outside a stadium but the preparations have attracted some controversy, including allegations of corruption. our sports news correspondent alex capstick reports from paris. a games fit for the future in the heart of historic paris, with a promise to be the most sustainable olympics and paralympics ever. the man making it happen knows a thing or two about a successful games. tony estanguet is a three—times olympic champion. for me, it's a great combination of again iconic images. we want to demonstrate that paris and france can deliver the games in a different way than in the past. and it's this best balance of the passion of the games but also the purpose. we have to be engaged in a new model of delivering the games. a big part of that new model is a laser focus on the environment. 95% of the venues already existed. the largest of only a few new construction projects is the athletes' village.

but here, wood has replaced steel. there's low—carbon cement and natural cooling instead of air conditioning. elsewhere, the games will be the first to be run on renewable energy. well, certainly reducing our emissions by 50% is one of our most important objectives. major events cannot be run the way they were run before. not with the current climate and environmental issues that we are seeing. one of the existing venues is the river seine, which has been cleaned up to host the open water swimming events. but it will also take centre stage for the first—ever opening ceremony outside the stadium. more than half a million spectators are expected on the banks of the river, which in light of france's historic issues with security and civil unrest, has raised concerns. when you organise an event, the first thing you have to be sure is the place where you welcome the athletes, delegations and spectators will be safe. that's the first and the major one. so, as i told you we work on that

point essentially to be sure that we will be able to do it in a full security aspect. security is not the only potential problem. organisers face allegations of corruption. this building behind me, their headquarters, was recently raided by police, and they face complaints over tickets being too expensive. although in response, they say prices are the same as at previous games. ultimately, 12 months from now, it's hoped the headlines will be about the sport, with team gb looking to build on the success of london, rio and tokyo, where the swimmers in particular excelled. and britain has gone 1—2! can you believe that?! and there is optimism britain's track and field athletes will be amongst the medals. 7m comes up on the scoreboard! a few months ago, jazmin sawyers was crowned european champion. i would say everybody is looking forward to paris. we can set ourselves up for a killer olympics. the team we've got, particularly, maybe i'm biased, but particularly the women,

are so strong and so ready for medals. with a year to go, eight—time olympic champion usain bolt was on hand to mark the official countdown. new stars and stories will emerge in a changing games, with france as ever embracing the revolution. iam in i am in the heart of bustling paris where this time next year people will be looking forward to what should be a spectacular opening ceremony. the mood is upbeat. i was at an event earlier today where the president of the ioc was enjoying himself as he made the official announcement to invite national olympic committees from around the world to paris in 12 months�* time. there was even a display of breakdancing because that is a sport that will make its olympic debut next year. along with other urban sport. there are issues though, security continues to be a concern

but also