this is bbc news, the headlines: ukraine has fired us—supplied long—range missiles into the country for the first time. the us has confirmed this.

thousands of uk farmers converge on westminster — to protest against the government's controversial new rules, on inheritance tax. we have been looking into the number of farmers affected by the changes to inheritance tax. and san marino do it again. no win for 20 years of international football — now two in two months. we'll talk live to the manager. now we have all the sport. hello from the bbc sport centre. it is getting very nervy in malaga. it has gone to a deciding set. great britain's semifinal against slovakia

in the billiejean king cup has gone to a deciding doubles game. emma raducanu got great britain off to a winning start. she was always the favourite against the world number 238 who had helped slovakia knock out australia and the usa on the way to the semis. and ultimately raducanu proved too strong for her opponent, raducanu won it 6—4 6—4. britain are looking to reach the final for the first time since 1981, with italy waiting for the winners of this tie. but in the last few moments, the british number one katie boulter has lost her singles match so it will now be decided in the doubles, the first time great britain have needed their doubles

pair of heather watson and olivia nichols. the davis cup is also taking place in malaga and starts today and rafael nadal is going to play spain's first game in the opening tie against netherlands. it will be the 38 year lds final professional tournament before retirement, and there were question marks over his participation. the 22 time grand slam champion has only made one apearance since the olympics, at an exhibition event in saudi arabia but he has been picked to play in the opening singles rubber against botic van de zandschulp. the eight quarter—finalists have already been decided but there's still plenty to play for in the nations league. wales are looking for automatic promotion to the top tier of the competition later. wales need to beat iceland in cardiff and hope turkey lose in montenegro. if turkey draw and craig bellamy�*s side win it'll come down to goal difference, and wales would need to win by four goals. bellamy has heavily rotated his side since taking on the job. it's a policy he says he'll continue.

we do have a lot of players who are not playing, and if i don't give them gametime, where are they going to get it? i'm not able to watch them play every week so i need to see them. i've been really impressed every time i have seen them and every time i have been able to change. england's women will be without ella toone and lauren hemp for theirfriendlies against the olympic champions usa and switzerland. manchester city have confirmed hemp has undergone knee surgery, while toone has a calf injury. first senior call—ups. laura blindkilde brown and ruby mace have first senior call—ups. manchester united defender gabby george returns for the first time in two years. meanwhile manchester city forward chloe kelly is also included despite losing her place at manchester city. we have some injuries up front. lauren hemp is injured. james

is injured. so she knows, khloe knows that she is not in the best position at her club at the moment but enough credit related to the whole team and the availability of players. in the nfl things are going from bad to worse for the dallas cowboys, as they were beaten at home by the houston texans for the first time hours after a piece of the roof fell off at their stadium. repairs were needed before kick—off after a large piece of metal crashed to the field. the cowboys had been trying to open the roof of the $1.3 billion at&t stadium for the first time since 2022. then the texans romped to a 34—10 win thanks to three touchdowns from running—back joe mixon. mike mccarthy's side have now lost six home matches in a row. and that's all the sport for now. there is much more on the bbc there is much more on the bbc sport website, where you can sport website, where you can follow the latest in the billie follow the latest in the billie

jean king tennis action. jean king tennis action. american officials have confirmed that ukraine has fired �*us—made�* long—range missiles into the country, for the first time. it comes after president biden gave the green light for weapons provided by america, to be used on targets inside russia. joining me from kharkiv is drjade mcglynn who's research fellow in war studies at king s college london. thanks forjoining us. it appears that ukraine has used these american missiles, less than two days sincejoe biden gave the green light, so what is your assessment of the significance?— is your assessment of the significance? i'm surprised it took them — significance? i'm surprised it took them so _ significance? i'm surprised it took them so long _ significance? i'm surprised it took them so long because l significance? i'm surprised it. took them so long because they had plans for being able to use them against russia and inside russia for so

them against russia and inside rus images online, they have the images online, they have taken out a fair amount of the armoury in russia in this particular region but because it was such a long winded process to obtain these permissions and these weapons, the deterrent effect will be somewhat muted, if only because russia has been able to move a fair amount russia has been able to move a fairamount of russia has been able to move a fair amount of its stockpiles further beyond the range of these missiles.— further beyond the range of these missiles. what is your exact understanding - these missiles. what is your exact understanding about l these missiles. what is your i exact understanding about how far into russia they can be used and whether there are any restrictions and whether it is just the kursk region? are there any limitations? my there any limitations? ij�*i understanding there any limitations? m: understanding originally there any limitations? m; understanding originally like everybody else, the limitations were that it could be used only in the kursk region but it seems now that the limitations

are more to do with the broader border regions and where the north koreans might be transporting and we know that they are largely based on the kursk region but also in the rostov area so they would need to travel between the two but it seems it is the border regions which i felt a direct impact from the war, much more than any other, that will be hit. ~ i, than any other, that will be hit. i i, , i , than any other, that will be hit. ~ i, , i , i, hit. we have pictures of the missile systems _ hit. we have pictures of the missile systems and - hit. we have pictures of the missile systems and we - hit. we have pictures of the missile systems and we arej missile systems and we are waiting for a press conference later to hear what the british say about whether uk missiles will also be able to be used. we are now at a moment, 1000 days into this war, where do you think we actually are? are we at a tipping point, or a stalemate?— we at a tipping point, or a stalemate? i, i, i, stalemate? the war on the front line has is _ stalemate? the war on the front line has is not _ stalemate? the war on the front line has is not a _ stalemate? the war on the front line has is not a stalemate - line has is not a stalemate then very arduous in terms of,

then very arduous in terms of, the russians are making advances but at very high costs, and anybody can look at a map and understand that ukraine is very much the underdog and it cannot continue for ever so that leaves a situation where we have to talk about what sort of other solutions could there be in terms of whether a ukrainian victory or a russian victory could not be possible, so you could not be possible, so you could say it's not about territory, it is about russia's identity, regaining its place as a great power on the world stage which it can achieve the subjugation of ukraine, have ukraine it is about existing, so until there are security guarantees from europe in the us and i don't need to tell you how unlikely that seems to be at the moment —— and the us. especially with the new political situation in the us. i find political situation in the us. ifind it

political situation in the us. i find it hard to foresee a piece that would last and that is worthy of the name.- piece that would last and that is worthy of the name. what is our is worthy of the name. what is your assessment _ is worthy of the name. what is your assessment of _ is worthy of the name. what is your assessment of the - is worthy of the name. what is your assessment of the strain | your assessment of the strain on both countries in terms of conscription, will, casualties on the ukrainian side and also the russians because we have inflation in russia and interest rates at 21% and huge amount of casualties there as well. i, i, , i, �* well. unfortunately i don't think the _ well. unfortunately i don't think the strain _ well. unfortunately i don't think the strain is - well. unfortunately i don't . think the strain is comparable because the strain of being bombed, i spend because the strain of being bombed, ispend my because the strain of being bombed, i spend my time between the uk and ukraine, the strain of being bombed is a lot harder than anything the russian citizens are going through, evenif citizens are going through, even if they do have a few hits, so the strain is not equal, one of many ways this is not an equalfight equal, one of many ways this is not an equal fight for ukraine, unfortunately. irate not an equal fight for ukraine, unfortunately.— unfortunately. we have got to leave it there _ unfortunately. we have got to leave it there but _ unfortunately. we have got to leave it there but thanks - unfortunately. we have got to leave it there but thanks for l leave it there but thanks for joining us. let's return to one of our main stories now. thousands of farmers are gathering in westminster in protest against changes

to inheritance tax rules announced in the budget. the national farmers union has accused the government of "betrayal" — but ministers insist the majority of farmers still won't pay the tax. bbc verify�*s ben chu has been looking at the numbers. how many farms will be affected by the changes to inheritance tax in the budget? farming groups are claiming up to 70,000 in total, but the treasury estimates fewer than 500 a year. now, that 70,000 figure looks like a considerable overestimate. there were around 1,700 claims for agricultural property relief, for inheritance tax in total in 2022, and only 27% were for properties valued at above £1 million. that suggests a maximum of around 500 farms, which would have been affected by the new tax change, which is the origin of the treasury's estimate that a maximum of 500 a year will be affected going forward. however, one of the claims of farmers is that even if their farm land is worth more than £1 million,

the new threshold for inheritance tax to be paid, that doesn't make them wealthy. and there is some truth to this. government figures suggest the average return on capital for farms — essentially, the amount of value farmers can extract from their farmland is only about 0.5%, which is certainly pretty low by the standards of other businesses. though it's worth bearing in mind that some economists believe the inheritance tax exemption for farmland, introduced by margaret thatcher's government in 1984, has helped push up the value of farmland by incentivising wealthy investors to put their money into land to avoid the tax. and as this chart shows, the price of farmland in england and wales has risen very sharply from less than £2,000 per acre in the mid 1980s to more than £9,000 today, which isn't necessarily financially beneficial to ordinary working farmers, especially those who might want to buy new land to expand their farms. so how much do farmers make?

well, an average farm in england in 2024 generated a net income of only £45,300. also note that there was a lot of variation, with pig and poultry farms generating more than 1,300 and lowland livestock grazing less than 18,000. but how does this translate into earnings? well, the average weekly earnings of people who work in agriculture were around £507 in september, compared to the nationwide average of 651. so what we can say, regardless of the question of weather this inheritance tax change is fair or not, is that for many ordinary farmers, farming is not a very profitable or relatively well—paid occupation. you heard a lot of what the farmer said, you heard a lot of what the farmersaid, disputing you heard a lot of what the farmer said, disputing much of what the government has put forward. rural affairs secretary steve reed has defended the decision to end an inheritance tax exemption for farmers announced last month in the budget.

we inherited a £22 billion black hole from the previous government, and the previous chancellor of the exchequer covered the scale of that problem up. so none of us knew how difficult the problem would be when we were coming into government. but this government's commitment to farming and to farmers is absolute. that's why we've allocated £5 billion to farming in the budget. that's the biggest amount of money in our country's history for sustainable food production. but we have to plug that £22 billion black hole in our public finances. otherwise we can't fix our public services like the broken national health service. so it's only right that we've had to ask the wealthiest landowners and the biggest farms to pay their fair share. but i would emphasise, only around 500 farms will be affected. the vast majority of farmers will pay no more under the new scheme than they do under the current one. farmers up and down the country

are saying that when they get this bill, which they weren't expecting, it could put them out of business. do you accept that it will put some farms out of business? and what do you say to those people who are worried about it? well, the vast majority of farms will not be affected. the data from hmrc, actual data from the last year that we actually have real data available, projected forwards, it shows that no more than around 500 farms would be affected. the vast majority of farms will pay nothing more under the new scheme. and that's notjust the treasury saying that. it's been validated by the independent office for budget responsibility and by the independent financial thinktank, the ifs. so there are a lot of figures flying around that i do not recognise. the vast majority of farmers will pay no more. would you advise farmers when it comes to this issue of inheritance tax, if they can't pay it because they don't have the money, would you advise them to sell their land? and do you accept that

some farmers will have to sell their land and it could go to developers or big corporations? it could change the face of the british countryside. the vast majority of farms will pay no more under the current scheme than they are under the new scheme. i'm talking about the ones who will have to pay it. well, the only ones that will be affected and it will be around 500 will be the very wealthiest or the biggest farms. they can plan their tax affairs just like any other business plans. their tax affairs as well. but i would point out to them, again, this government is on the side of farming. we've just allocated £5 billion to farming. that's the biggest budget in our country's history for sustainable farming. the vast majority of farmers will not be affected by these changes to inheritance tax, but it's only right we ask the very wealthiest to pay their fair share. otherwise, we can't fix services like the national health service that farmers rely on and people living in rural communities just like everybody else. still to come, we will be

talking to the manager of san marino. that he is waiting to talk to us. they have won their second match in 20 years last night. there will be big smiles when i talk to him. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

you are watching bbc news. the european union has condemned the sentences handed down to 45 pro—democracy activists as an �*unprecedented blow�* to freedoms. the british government said hong kong is using security law to "criminalise political dissent." the us, australia and human rights groups have also condemned hong kong's largest national security trial as evidence of shrinking political freedoms in the city. but hong kong's security minister chris tang maintains the sentences "reflected the severity of the crime". the activists were sentenced to jail terms spanning four to ten years. their crime?

organising a vote to pick opposition candidates for local elections. benny tai — a lawyer identified in the judgement as a "mastermind" of the plans — received one of the longest terms. many of those sentenced were already in prison. our reporter in hong kong martin yip told us more about some of those sentenced today. ten years for benny tai, almost five years forjoshua wong and seven years for gwyneth ho. today's sentencing confirms that a big portion of hong kong's pro—democracy camp will see no lights in freedom for a long while, even if we could discount the time many of them have already been detained off, that is three years and eight months. however, chris tsang, the chinese territory's security secretary, indicates that the government might appeal against some defendants' jail terms. he says their plan to secure enough seats in the city's legislature in order to hold

a veto power against government policies, including the budget, was intended to paralyse the administration. they ignore the life or death of ordinary citizens, he claims. the united states has described the trial as politically motivated, while britain has previously said this shows how beijing is stifling political dissidence, using the hong kong national security law. but china insists no one can engage in what it called illegal activities in the name of democracy. now — you wait 140 games for a win — then two come along in a little over two months. we are talking san marino — their national football team won 3—1 in liechtenstein last night — earning them promotion into the nations league, group c. this was their second victory — because, back in september, you may remember they had their first win for 20 years. san marino is a small landlocked country — with only 33,000 people. it's entirely surrounded by italy — with liechtenstein having a population of 40,000.

let's speak to michele raschi, team manager, who hasjust arrived back to san marino stadium with the team. thanks forjoining us. what was it like to get that first victory away from home? good afternoon. _ victory away from home? good afternoon, everybody. - victory away from home? good afternoon, everybody. we - victory away from home? good| afternoon, everybody. we have just arrived and the guys are having a welcome party from the citizens of san marino is a welcome back to the team, and they are happy, and they have to realise what they did, and they wrote a historical page of football in san marino and for european football because half of our team is made by workers, and during daily life, at the end of work they go to pitches to train with their club, and the other half of the team is composed with people who play

in the italian championship. it is a group made up of young people and young professional players that are growing up together. they did something extraordinary and we hope to do even better in the future when we face the european qualifiers for the world cup, but for the moment we enjoyed the party. —— enjoy. it moment we en'oyed the party. -- en'o . , , , ~ enjoy. it is still sinking in 'ust enjoy. it is still sinking in just what _ enjoy. it is still sinking in just what they _ enjoy. it is still sinking in just what they have - enjoy. it is still sinking in i just what they have actually achieved?— just what they have actually achieved? , i, , i, achieved? yes, maybe in a few da s, achieved? yes, maybe in a few days. when _ achieved? yes, maybe in a few days, when they _ achieved? yes, maybe in a few days, when they see _ achieved? yes, maybe in a few days, when they see the - days, when they see the newspapers and the tv news, they will realise they did something great. yesterday evening was time for a party and we enjoyed dinner together

but now we are back in san marino and in the next days we will enjoy the celebrations. this will en'oy the celebrations. as a will enjoy the celebrations. as a manager, you won the first game a couple of months ago at home and now you have won away from home, so what have you done differently? it has been 20 years since your last victory. i 20 years since your last victory-— 20 years since your last victo . i, , i, i, i, victory. i have been a manager here since _ victory. i have been a manager here since january _ victory. i have been a manager here since january 2024, - victory. i have been a manager here since january 2024, and l here since january 2024, and the people before me in this role were able to create a group that did something great in the last year and in the last nations league, and that made the difference, because in 11 months the head coach back then change the mindset of the players. then change the mindset of the -la ers. . , then change the mindset of the .la ers. ., , , then change the mindset of the laers. .,, , i, , i, players. that is very modest of ou and players. that is very modest of you and i _ players. that is very modest of you and i mention _ players. that is very modest of you and i mention that - players. that is very modest of you and i mention that you - players. that is very modest of| you and i mention that you have got promotion, so who will you

get to play? irate got promotion, so who will you get to play?— get to play? we will play in 2026 and _ get to play? we will play in 2026 and in _ get to play? we will play in 2026 and in 2025 _ get to play? we will play in 2026 and in 2025 we - get to play? we will play in 2026 and in 2025 we will. get to play? we will play in i 2026 and in 2025 we will have the qualifying for the world cup. the qualifying for the world cu -. i, the qualifying for the world cu . _ ., , ., ., the qualifying for the world cu. i, , i, i, cup. that is amazing, san marino in _ cup. that is amazing, san marino in the _ cup. that is amazing, san marino in the qualifiers i cup. that is amazing, san| marino in the qualifiers for the world cup. i want to ask you about the supporters, because for years they have followed you around europe watching the team get absolutely stumped, so what is it like now when they actually get to see you win? —— thumped. it is incredible, because the supporters is growing more and more and yesterday evening we beat our record of away travelling supporters, there were around 50 supporters in lichtenstein, and in gibraltar around 40, so the group is growing and involving more and

more people, and not only europe is fascinated by the san europe is fascinated