�*on human rights aboard to spy on human rights campaigners. we bring you a special bbc investigation. a british man who killed his seriously ill wife at their home in cyprus — is released from custody. we will have more on all of those stories here in the moment. time for a look at the business news now with ben thompson. good afternoon. what you have for us? good afternoon. we begin with climate change and the net zero debate — the uk's prime minister rishi sunak has announced plans to expand carbon capture and storage in the north sea. speaking to the bbc in scotland this morning, mr sunak confirmed that his government will invest millions of pounds in a carbon capture projects, and confirmed 100 new north sea oil and gas licences. critics have accused the government of backing fossil fuels — but the prime minister said the plans are �*entirely consistent�* with the uk's climate commitments. it's really important for everyone to recognise that even in 2050

when we are at net zero, it is forecast that around a quarter of our energy needs will still come from oil and gas. that's why technologies like carbon capture and storage are important. but what is important is that we get the oil and gas in the best possible way, and that means getting it from here at home. better for our energy security, not relying on foreign dictators. better forjobs, for example 100,000 supported here in scotland. but also, better for the climate because if we are going to need it, it's far better to have it here at home rather than shipping it to from halfway around the world with two, three, four times the amount of carbon emissions versus the oil and gas we have here. so it is entirely consistent with our plans to get to net zero. the prime minister says that you can do both. jess ralston from the energy and climate intelligence unit says that the uk's green commitments are very popular among voters, and that it would make little sense for the government to row back

on any of them. the oil and gas industry's own estimates show that the production will continue to decline in the north sea no matter what the government's policy is, simply because there's not as much gas and oil as there was 50 years ago when we first started extracting from the north sea. actually, what's left in the north sea is actually mostly oil and this is mostly exported. so there's very little benefit to our bills from more north sea extraction. and during a cost of living crisis bills is obviously a very strong priority for the public. so it's a bit of a strange decision to approve more when it's not going to help with our bills because the can't move the dial on internationally set prices. and it's actuallyjust going to mean that oil and gas companies make more money from exporting to the highest bidder. yeah, and that's what many people will be confused by, given that we are told we should be investing in renewables, that some fossil fuels are still subsidised by the uk government and that is at odds with advice internationally. and yet the government says here we are, we'll plough ahead with these licences. absolutely.

there's a loophole in the windfall tax at the moment where the taxpayer is actually subsidising more northerly oil extraction of oil and gas. to the tune of 91p back for every pound they spend. now, everyone will have seen the huge profits that these companies have been raking in over the past year or so. and starting to think that that's probably not the best approach. so there's definitely subsidies which are questionable during a time when there's heat waves and wildfires and everything else going on in the world. but the real key is that this won't bring down our bills anyway, and it's just going to give more money to these oil and gas companies. so it's not going to help with bills or with our energy security. yeah. and as you said, that could be interesting ahead of what could be a general election year next year. now, talk to me, though, about carbon capture because relatively new technology, but being deployed on a growing scale, what difference does this make? well, carbon capture and storage technology, as you said, is quite a new technology. and all the experts agree that we will need some

of it as we head up to 2050 and net zero for those particularly hard to treat areas like manufacturing where there could be some residual carbon emissions. however, the scale of how much we'll need and perhaps more importantly how much it's going to cost are still very unknown. the uk is clearly trying to position itself as a leader when it comes to this technology and we have some natural advantages because of caverns, the geology of the north sea, etc. but it's a bit of a gamble to take taxpayer money, millions or billions, and pump that into a technology that we're not sure is going to be practical, cost effective. but, you know, the government's clearly backing it and that could have impacts for green investment. we've got the inflation reduction act in the us and a similar package in europe, but the uk is not really at the table when it comes to green investment at the moment. so hopefully this will be a signal of things to come. the view that on those government plans on further fossil fuel

licences in the north sea. yellow, one of the biggest us trucking businesses, shut down sunday, imperiling nearly 30,000 jobs. it raises questions about the trump administration's decision to lend the company $700 million in 2020. the us treasury holds about 30% of its shares. michelle fleury is following the story from our new york bureau and joins me live now. what went on here? this is a company that has been — what went on here? this is a company that has been struggling _ what went on here? this is a company that has been struggling for a - that has been struggling for a while. it has been involved in negotiations, contract negotiations with its unionised workforce and the company has in recent weeks in saying that the failure to reach an agreement on the threat of a strike actually put it into an death spiral. what then started as a lawsuit against the union at some point stop paying into health care and pension benefits for workers who then said they would go on strike

unless their health care costs and coverage was met. sort of now we found ourselves in a situation where over the weekend the union involved said that they received notification that the company was going to cease operations and file for bankruptcy. let me read you are the union said in response. they said today's news is unfortunately not surprising. this is a sad day for workers and the american freight industry. this comes after the same union just successfully negotiated new contracts with ups workers. at a time when we are seeing an increase in industrial action across different industries in america right now. different industries in america riaht now. different industries in america right "ow-— different industries in america riaht now. . ., ., , , right now. the challenge of courses for the white _ right now. the challenge of courses for the white house _ right now. the challenge of courses for the white house that _ right now. the challenge of courses for the white house that issued - right now. the challenge of courses| for the white house that issued this load still owning a large stake, they will want to know what happens next. , ,., they will want to know what happens next. , .,, ., ., they will want to know what happens next. , ., ., , next. yes, so as part of covid funds that were released _ next. yes, so as part of covid funds that were released to _ next. yes, so as part of covid funds that were released to try _ next. yes, so as part of covid funds that were released to try and - next. yes, so as part of covid funds that were released to try and help | that were released to try and help businesses stay afloat during the tough times of the pandemic, one of the recipients was the strong

company —— mack truck company. they receive $700 million. there are questions whether top aides in the trump administration pressured the treasury to release this money. again, let me read this congressional report saying that the company was at risk of bankruptcy before it obtained a load from the treasury. definitely being asked on that front as to what really this company doing leaving taxpayers now on the hook for part of this, not just customers and employees. goad just customers and employees. good to talk to you — just customers and employees. good to talk to you as _ just customers and employees. good to talk to you as always. _ just customers and employees. good to talk to you as always. michelle fleury live in new york. india which boasts over 20% of the global semiconductor design talent, has recently attracted investments from major players like amd & micron to grow its own chip—making industry. but can india become a global semiconductor manufacturing powerhouse? nikhil inamdar reports from mumbai. about a year and a half after india announced a $10 billion incentive

package for chip companies, investments finally seem to be coming in. after micron�*s $2.7 billion commitment to set up a semiconductor assembly and testing plant just a few weeks ago. amd has said last week it will open its largest research and development centre in bengaluru. now prime minister modi has said a 50% assistance to set up chip manufacturing in the country will mean india could see exponential growth in this sphere. foxconn says it is optimistic about the direction in which india is headed on chip making. but industry watchers are more cautious. they say while the government's sops will allow india to strengthen its presence in the design, assembly and packaging ends of the chip—making value chain, attracting manufacturing investment will need more work for companies to commit to technology transfers and set up fabrication units. india will need to undertake structural reforms such as improving its business, climate and trade linkages.

the country has made some headway on these fronts, but there is still a long way to go. nikhil inamdar, bbc news, mumbai. in other news: better—than—expected data out of the euro zone this morning has signalled the region returned to growth in the second quarter of this year. the bloc�*s economy expanded by 0.3%, compared to expectations of 0.2%. and it was better than the zero growth clocked in the first quarter. but the euro zone's biggest economy, germany, registered no growth, and italy suffered a contraction. in a comforting sign for the ecb however, inflation eased slightly. mortgage approvals in the uk rose unexpectedly injune, despite further rises in interest rates. bank of england figures show net mortgage approvals rose to 511,700 from 51,100 in may. analysts had expected the housing market to slow in a month when high inflation figures led the central bank to hike interest rates to 5%

the highest level in 15 years. kanye west's account has been reinstated on twitter after an almost eight—month ban over offensive tweets. the us rapper, known as ye, was accused of violating the platform's rules prohibiting incitement to violence. he has not posted anything new since returning to the site, which owner elon musk has rebranded to x. those are your business stories. more on the website. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. this was the 22nd hide in whole event. �* , . , this was the 22nd hide in whole event. �*, . , ., , ., event. it's nice being able to celebrate — event. it's nice being able to celebrate and _ event. it's nice being able to celebrate and be _ event. it's nice being able to celebrate and be able - event. it's nice being able to celebrate and be able to - event. it's nice being able to celebrate and be able to be. event. it's nice being able to - celebrate and be able to be open and dress up and really be proud. what dress up and really be proud. what does ride dress up and really be proud. what does pride mean _ dress up and really be proud. what does pride mean to _ dress up and really be proud. what does pride mean to you? notjust accepting — does pride mean to you? notjust accepting but celebrated the differences in the world. it�*s

accepting but celebrated the differences in the world. it's a treat differences in the world. it's a great place — differences in the world. it's a great place for _ differences in the world. it's a great place for pride. - differences in the world. it's a great place for pride. what. differences in the world. it's a i great place for pride. what does ride great place for pride. what does pride mean _ great place for pride. what does pride mean to — great place for pride. what does pride mean to you? _ great place for pride. what does pride mean to you? about - great place for pride. what does pride mean to you? about being ourself pride mean to you? about being yourself and _ pride mean to you? about being yourself and open _ pride mean to you? about being yourself and open with - pride mean to you? about being| yourself and open with everyone. pride mean to you? about being - yourself and open with everyone. as far as the lgb aspect of the pride movement go, a lot of movement has happened~ _ movement go, a lot of movement has happened. there is an awful lot more work to— happened. there is an awful lot more work to he _ happened. there is an awful lot more work to be done in identifying what can he _ work to be done in identifying what can be done for our trans community. organisers— can be done for our trans community. organisers say they hope by walking with transgender groups it could mean that even more people listen to their message. for more from stories across the uk, head to the bbc news website. your live with bbc news. many times we've reported on the plight of uyghur muslims in china — with hundreds of thousands subjected to mass incarceration — in the north west of the country. now researchers say the chinese authorities are pressuring uyghurs living abroad — to spy on human rights campaigners — by threatening their families back home. refugees and activisits say the tactic is tearing

communities apart. bbc newsnight�*s sam judah has been speaking to one refugee living in the uk about his experience. a demonstration outside the foreign office with a dark twist. these uyghurs want the government to speak up about human rights abuses in china. but someone has been asked to infiltrate their ranks, gather intelligence, and send details to the chinese authorities. we're calling him alim, and concealing his identity. he's a refugee living in the uk. it was an audio call through wechat. when they called me, i recorded it with my other phone. alim has shared recordings of those calls. we've adapted a few to mask key details. we paid a visit to your family in xinjiang.

my colleague collected their details. if you want to see them, i can set up a video call. yes, please arrange that. i just want to talk to them and find out how they are. i won't ask about anything else. 0k. no problem. i'll arrange that for you. alim was granted a very unusual video call with his mother. the officer connected them by holding two mobile phones facing each other. he used one phone to connect with my mother, and then he used another phone to contact me, allowing me to see my mother through his screen. when i saw my mother, i couldn't contain my emotions. it had been 6—7 years since i last saw her, and it was an incredibly heart—wrenching moment. there was a price to pay. the officer wanted something in return. we've heard that the uyghur activists are planning to meet next month. we want you to attend and find out what they say, especially the leaders. we know who they are. they took my family hostage, putting me through this ordeal.

even though i may appear fine on the outside, on the inside, i'm suffering. a report published this year says 60% of the 400 uyghurs living in the uk have been approached with a similar request to inform on their peers or to stop speaking out about what's happening in xinjiang. this is about the way the chinese government harasses and threatens uyghur people abroad and tries to control their daily activities and their friendships. most face threats and harassment from police and government officials, but all experience family separation. uyghurs outside china offer a line to the international community. they can speak for those still in xinjiang, telling the world about its internment camps, where the un says more than a million people have been detained in the last few years. alim refused to cooperate. and we understand that the vast

majority of requests made by chinese police are rejected by those in the uyghur community. sam judah, bbc news. we have had official chinese reaction — in a statement sent to the bbc, the chinese embassy in london said the allegations were "totally groundless". china — said the statement — "protects uyghurs and their communication with overseas relatives in accordance with the law". a british pensioner who killed his seriously ill wife in cyprus has walked free from court. david hunter was found guilty of the manslaughter of his wife janice at their home. mr hunter had told the court that she had begged him to end her life because she was in so much pain. from paphos, fiona trott sent this report. stunned. this is the moment the retired miner never dared to imagine. i can't describe it. i'm sorry, i wish i could — i wish i could find words to describe it, but i can't. when you're under pressure for two year, wondering which way it's going to go, you don't know what to think.

i would like to say thank you to all the people who have donated to me, especially my mates, my workmates. i didn't know where i would be without them. i hope i'm feeling the same as my family when i'm talking about that. i'm talking about all my lads. we're all a family. when you work in a colliery, we're a family. and that family, thousands of miles away in northumberland, were overjoyed that david hunter was finally free. absolutely ecstatic. i couldn't — you know, if i won the lottery tomorrow, i wouldn't feel any better than i felt when i got that call today. just absolutely brilliant. i mean everybody, you know, you could sense the emotion in the whole group. it's what we've been working for, it's what we've hoped for, what we've wished for. this is the davey they knew — the lucky man who retired to cyprus with the wife he adored. but here inside their home, janice was suffering.

she had blood cancer, so david killed her and tried to take his own life. he admitted what he did, and was found guilty of manslaughter last week. we think it was a fair decision, . and one in line with the interests ofjustice, it is pity he spent- so long in prison, but he's looking forward to getting out, - and now this allows for him and his family to properly grieve. absolutely wonderful. janice was at the centre of his world. he's now walking into a world and into a life without her. his friends say that is punishment enough. the death toll from the sunday's suicide bombing at a political rally in northwest pakistan has risen to a5. security officials in pakistan say they can't confirm who was behind the attack. more than 100 people were injured in the explosion, in the northwest, near the border with afghanistan. it happened at an event, organised by one of the country's largest islamic political groups — which is part of the

government coalition. no group has acknowledged carrying out the bombing, and authorities have warned the death toll may rise further. a short while ago, our correspondent in islamabad caroline davies said new detail was emerging about how the bombing had been carried out. this morning, the authorities confirmed that this was a suicide bomber. yesterday, they had suggested that it could well be —today, they have confirmed that. and they say that they believe that the bomber used around 10kg of explosive, as well as ball bearings, as well, just to maximise the level of damage and destruction when that explosion went off. we know that the number of dead has continued to rise, and the hospitals have reported around 150 have been injured. some are still in a critical condition. we still have not heard from any group claiming the attack. the authorities have refuted the idea that the so—called islamic state, is behind this attack. however, instead they have said that there are some indications that a local chapter with links to the so—called islamic state

might have been involved. that sounds like two contradictory statements, but in fact, it simply gives you more of an indication about how some of these militant groups operate. they may well have connections to larger terrorist and militant organisations, but they may also operate as a splinter cell relatively independently — this could be what the police are suggesting here, but at the moment, they've also been quite careful not to say that they definitely believe any particular group is behind it. now, the backdrop to all of this, of course, is the fact that this was a political rally for a political party that's currently in the coalition in government, and that this is all in the build—up to a highly—anticipated general election here in pakistan, expected to happen in the autumn, although we don't have a set date for it. and the concern, of course, has been if we are already seeing attacks on political rallies even before we have an election date, what might we see in the next few months? speaking to one of the rally�*s organisers who talked about the sort of level of devastation, seeing people — he was on stage at the time, seeing people

who were standing next to him killed during this explosion, he was still adamant that the party would continue with their rallies, that they would continue with their campaigning and the democratic process in the run—up to this expected election. that was caroline davies reporting on that suicide bombing. we will keep an eye on that story and return to it on bbc news. local authorities across the uk say some vulnerable people are waiting years for the social care they need. research for the bbc suggests that in around a quarter of council areas, some had to wait more than a month on average — just to be assessed for social care. and that's having a knock on effect on the nhs, as patients become stuck in hospitals, meaning fewer beds are available. wyre davies reports. i can't afford to waste time at my age. i could go any day. lily is 96—years—old.

she's frail and needs help with everyday tasks. but in the words of her friends, she's as sharp as a tack and she knows what she wants. i have to get out. i've had enough. ijust can't stand any more. lily's been in hospitalfor 11 months, and is a striking example of a common problem. a patient well enough to go home, but unable to leave hospital because there's no care available. with the help of friends, she's been keeping a video diary. so what's stopping you now from going home? no carers. we're just waiting because you can't find any carers that would care for me. there are a lot of people like me and we're holding up beds and everything, so they should be pushing us out. i'm lying here in- the praying position. the praying position, yes. carers like rebecca and jessica, who work here in the vale

of glamorgan, love theirjobs but are under daily pressures. for retired policeman nigel, who has multiple sclerosis, they're crucial for his quality of life, after he spent three months waiting for care. if it wasn't for the carers, . at this time of the day now, i would be stuck in the bed. it's like solitary confinement. but the system is under huge strain. we found that private companies have handed back thousands of care contracts to councils across the uk, the equivalent of more than 70,000 hours. staffing was the most common reason. our local asda pays £13 to start with, and to start you off with no previous experience, so we can't really compete. the reported staffing crisis in the care sector has a direct impact on the availability of beds in hospitals across the uk. so today we've got 58 patients who are what we call

medically fit for discharge. that's nearly three wards of patients that do not need to be here. it's not sustainable, and i think something does need to change. we've been told many times that higher pay for carers and extra money for councils to make that happen might be part of the solution here. but where might that money come from? this is the necessary spending on social care that's going up. five years ago, gerry holtham wrote a paper for the welsh government, anticipating the inevitable rising cost of care. his conclusions then haven't changed. the basic notion of a ring—fenced tax to cope with social care i think still has to be on the table. the uk government and the devolved administrations do have the powers to raise taxes to pay for social care if they wanted. they say they are spending billions more, but councils say much of that is being soaked up

by rising costs. at least lily, after waiting almost a year, is now going home. oh, my trees, some of the trees are still there. two carers visit four times daily, allowing her to live as she wishes. so what's it like to be back home? wonderful. bubbling over inside of me is the fact that i'm home. the vale of glamorgan council has apologised unreservedly for the delay. and although the health board said the level of care she needed contributed to her stay in hospital, it understood her concerns. lily isjust glad to be home and finally enjoying the view from her own window. wyre davies, bbc news. madonna has thanked herfamily madonna has thanked her family and friends for their support after she was hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection last month. the singer said on social media that she was lucky to be alive after being

treated in intensive care. the 64—year—old was due to begin a seven month world tour in the coming weeks but that has been postponed after she fell ill. we are going to take a short break and when we are back we will have more in all of those main stories. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. it looks like summer is going to remain on hold for the rest of this week with low pressure always nearby. it is going to stay unsettled bringing spells of cloud, rain, even strong winds around for the time of year. it has been a wetjuly, many places have seen more than double what we expect in a normal month. parts of northwest england, preston, have seen three times what we expect in a normaljuly. it will stay unsettled into the start of august. this low pressure sitting on top of the country bringing a lot of cloud, outbreaks of patchy rain. there will be a few glimmers of brightness, the best in northern scotland again. some of the rain across scotland, northern england and northern ireland later will pep up. further south we could see something drier. the winds will be a feature

across southern britain. lighter further north. that combination of cloud, rain and stronger winds will make it feel cool, 18—21 celsius. this evening and overnight, it stays cloudy. some clear spells across england and wales, northern scotland seeing the best. patchy rain across northern ireland, southern scotland, and northern england. temperatures on the mild side. cooler further north. tuesday is quieter, in between weather systems. more sunshine across england and wales. northern ireland and far south of scotland, and northern england could see cloud with patchy rain. generally, a bit better on tuesday, up to 22 in the southeast. it goes downhill rapidly into wednesday. this deep area of low pressure will spread across the country. bringing heavy rain and also strong winds with gales, 50mph gusts, and heavy downpours, maybe thundery. the best of the weather in northern scotland. that will impact the temperatures. 16—20 celsius in the south.

staying unsettled for the rest of the week. sunny spells, scattered showers, turning unsettled at the weekend, sunday looks pretty wet.

live from london. this is bbc news. north sea oil and gas production is to expand as the uk government says it will grant hundreds of new licences for drilling. the government also confirms up to £20 billion worth of backing, for two new carbon capture projects. a british man who killed his seriously ill wife in cyprus is released in custody today. on the front line in bakhmut

with ukraine's elite sniper forces — we have a special report. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala, welcome to verified live, three hours of breaking stories, and checking out the truth behind them. we start with that expansion of oil and gas production in the north sea. the uk government is offering hundreds of new licences for drilling. the prime minister says, it will boost britain's energy independence. but environmental campaigners say — more drilling for fossil fuels — flies in the face of the science around climate change. the government has also announced up to £20 billion worth of backing, for two new carbon capture projects. more on that in a moment from our climate editor — justin rowlatt. but first — this report from our political correspondent ione wells.