water bills will go up by an average £86 next year in england and wales, despite companies being criticised for leaks and sewage spills. the labour minister tulip siddiq is named in a nearly £4 billion corruption probe in bangladesh. and the unique battalion of black women whose contribution to world war ii has inspired a new movie. and coming up on bbc news... the premier league has approved the takeover of everton football club by the friedkin group, in a deal understood to be worth in excess of £400 million. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the former husband of gisele pelicot has been jailed for 20 years for drugging and raping her, and arranging for other men to rape her while she lay unconscious.

fifty of them have also been convicted, and are being taken to prison in a fleet of police vans from the courtroom where they appeared this morning. dominique pelicot�*s crimes — committed over years — have shocked france, and the world. madame pelicot says she �*never regretted' making her ordeal, and her trial, public. our correspondent hugh schofield is in the city of avignon. hugh, tell us more about what has happened there this morning? it's been a day of high emotion here in avignon. culminating in the guilty verdict read out by the judge, against the former husband of madame pelicot and the 50 men he invited into his home to rape his drugged wife. the verdict came as a matter of huge satisfaction to gisele pelicot herself, herfamily and the thousands of people here in avignon and around the world who

supported her in this long trial and ordeal so a morning of high emotion but one which began in a very ordinary way and exactly the same way so many have started here at the courthouse outside the old city walls of avignon. it was the same walk she has made so often to the courthouse at this time for the last time. maybe that's why gisele pelicot was smiling. it's the end of three months of gruelling test of money that has tested her courage and made her an international symbol. with tv crews from around the world looking on at 9:30am the judge began reading the sentence is, on her husband who drugged her and invited in strangers to rape and the 50 others, all guilty. outside, her supporters were waiting. the verdicts have come in, all guilty and not the sentences are being read out by thejudge.

and not the sentences are being read out by the judge. the and not the sentences are being read out by thejudge. the husband, 20 years, and among the activists here there are anger at the sentences that are much too low. it is there are anger at the sentences that are much too low. it is much too low. that are much too low. it is much too low we _ that are much too low. it is much too low. we seek _ that are much too low. it is much too low. we seekjustice, - that are much too low. it is much too low. we seekjustice, we - that are much too low. it is much| too low. we seekjustice, we want justice _ too low. we seekjustice, we want justice and — too low. we seekjustice, we want justice and if we do not have justice — justice and if we do not have justice we _ justice and if we do not have justice we will make justice. feminist— justice we will make justice. feminist activist may be angered by the leniency of some of the sentences but the impact of this trial is already being felt, the way it is forcing a reassessment of attitude towards rape and male sexual behaviour. it is attitude towards rape and male sexual behaviour.— attitude towards rape and male sexual behaviour. it is possibly one ofthe sexual behaviour. it is possibly one of they are — sexual behaviour. it is possibly one of they are shocking _ sexual behaviour. it is possibly one of they are shocking aspect - sexual behaviour. it is possibly one of they are shocking aspect of- sexual behaviour. it is possibly one of they are shocking aspect of this | of they are shocking aspect of this case how— of they are shocking aspect of this case how easily he found 50 may 100 men in _ case how easily he found 50 may 100 men in the _ case how easily he found 50 may 100 men in the neighbouring area willing to participate in this scenario. it is harrowing to think about. within the last hour— is harrowing to think about. within the last hour gisele _ is harrowing to think about. within

the last hour gisele pelicot - is harrowing to think about. ii�*u “i the last hour gisele pelicot emerged to give her first reaction. the last hour gisele pelicot emerged to give herfirst reaction. she thanked herfamily and lawyers to give herfirst reaction. she thanked her family and lawyers and then all the people who have expressed their support for her over the last three months. translation: finally i think of the unrecognised victims whose stories often remain in the shadows, i want you to know we share the same fight. i would like to express my gratitude to all the people who supported me, your testimonies have moved me and i have drawn from then the strength to come back every day to face these long days of hearings. this back every day to face these long days of hearings.— days of hearings. this landmark trial is over, _ days of hearings. this landmark trial is over, gisele _ days of hearings. this landmark trial is over, gisele pelicot - days of hearings. this landmark. trial is over, gisele pelicot leaves the public stage. but the legacy of her bearing witness will not be forgotten. hugh schofield, bbc news. hospices in england and wales will receive £120 million in additionalfunding, under new plans that have just been announced. the government says the money will be used to refurbish buildings and overhaul it systems. for months hospice leaders have expressed concerns about the financial pressures facing the sector, with some having

to close beds and cut staff. our health correspondent catherine burns reports. good morning. hospices can bring peoplejoy at some of the toughest times in their lives, and today, the health secretary got to bring some festive good news to them. # hello, charlie. every time i've been here, i always feel really uplifted. it's fun, it's vibrant. the government is calling it the biggest investment in hospices for a generation. # hello.# we're announcing £100 million worth of investment to our hospices to invest in their buildings, their equipment, their services, their support for people, and confirming funding for children's hospices in particular. that's £26 million. the care people get from hospices is free, but unlike the nhs, they only get a third

of their budget from the government. the rest comes from charitable donations, which have been stretched. around 300 beds are currently closed in hospices across england because they can't afford to staff them. that's out of around 2,200 beds available overall. and one in five hospices say they've been planning cuts. hospices said last year was the worst they had ever had financially, and then in the budget came the news that they wouldn't be exempt from higher employment national insurance contributions, all this led to predictions of shortfalls of tens of millions of pounds. there is no doubt this christmas gift will be very welcome, but does it come with any strings? well, technically, the money is supposed to be spent on improving buildings and equipment, so it doesn't specifically address some of the wider concerns that hospices have, especially those extra national insurance contributions. overall, though, the hope

is that it will take pressure off their budgets. the details will come in the new year, but for now, hospices are broadly happy. we recognise that the government and the department of health in particular is under significant pressure in terms of spending, and we think this is a big vote of confidence in the hospice sector in terms of what we can achieve both for patients and families, but also for the nhs. we make a huge contribution to the system and we welcome the fact that the government has recognised that today. this announcement gives hospices some certainty, at least for the next couple of years. but there will be plenty of other parts of health and care who will be looking for similar gifts in the new year. catherine burns, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym joins us now. hugh, it was much—awaited, how have hospices responded to this announcement? generally speaking they are giving it a warm welcome because they know

the financial climate is difficult, all the messages from central government about getting more funding, they had asked for £110 million for hospices in england and they got £100 million so they are pretty pleased. there is the extra 26 for children's hospices next year and that will stabilise the sector and that will stabilise the sector and tide them over with all the other pressures. but as we heard in the report this is money targeted at capital spending, the report this is money targeted at capitalspending, equipment, refurbishment, buildings and so one which is very necessary but it does not specifically covered the national insurance employer increase set to come into force at the start of the next financial year which is causing concern but the way it is being presented, if they are getting more money for capital spending that could free up money already allocated going to day to costs to cover national insurance and so one but that is one interpretation. i spoke to a hospice in manager who said they would wait for the detail

as to precisely how this would work but some more money will appear in the new year and then more for the next financial year. that still leaves gps, social care providers, charities, all of those who had lobbied very hard for support because it is higher national insurance contribution for employers. they have not heard anything today. wes streeting told me something would come in the new year. i think there will be quite high expectations what that might deliver. hugh, thank you. household water bills in england and wales will go up by an average of £86 next year, with smaller hikes over the following four years. there's been anger about the increase, as water companies have been criticised for sewage spills and making big bonus payouts to bosses. the regulator ofwat said putting up bills would allow water companies to fund much—needed upgrades. our business correspondent theo leggett reports. cleaning up our rivers and coastlines while providing enough water for a growing population doesn't come cheap.

bills in england and wales are going to rise by an average of £86 next year, and will continue going up by smaller amounts each year until 2030 under plans approved by the regulator, ofwat. meanwhile, water companies are increasingly coming underfire over crumbling pipes, sewage spills and disrupted supplies. we appreciate nobody likes to see their bills increase, but this bill increase will back £104 billion of investment, which will drive up performance, will reduce sewage discharges, reduce pollution incidents and further reduce leakage. over the next five years, the average bill will go up from £440 a year to £597, an increase of 36%. southern water has permission to push up charges from £420 to £642 a year. that's a rise of 53%. meanwhile, customers of northumbrian water

and wessex water will have to pay 21% more. for southern water customers in hampshire, the news comes as thousands of households are currently without any supply at all, due to technical problems. they're having to rely on bottled water. debt—laden thames water, meanwhile, has been a key target for activists, who claim it hasn't done enough to prevent sewage spills. its customers will pay 35% more. campaigners in henley on thames this morning weren't impressed. we're going to be paying for mistakes that were made by thames water and their executives, and they've been all the while getting bonuses and giving the shareholders dividends. we would be happy to pay if we hadn't already paid. we want to see the river healthy, fit. at the moment, it's turbid. you cannot see the bottom. in the last two years, it's deteriorated hugely. but the industry has welcomed ofwat�*s decision. we understand that bill rises are never welcome. it is important to remember that since 2010, bills have been falling. they're down about 25% since 2010. so we're trying to play catch up now. they're a bit less than what we'd

asked for, and it will take time to study the full detail of what ofwat�*s decided this morning. but we're really hopeful that we can now get on and give people the investment that they so desperately want. there is help available for people who struggle to pay their bills. citizens advice says you should ask your water supplier. water firms now know they will have more money, but they'll also come under increasing pressure to clean up their act. theo leggett, bbc news. as theo mentioned there, thousands of homes in parts of hampshire are still without water this lunchtime. our reporter duncan kennedy is in eastleigh for us. duncan, the timing couldn't be worse really, what impact is this having? it's having a huge impact, something like 58,000 homes have been of supply since tuesday night. a bottled water plant, the word on everyone's lips is one of frustration, carloads of children with frustrated parents, pensioners,

plumbers, you name it, frustrated by the price rises announced today but this is coming just before christmas. this is coming 'ust before christmas._ this is coming 'ust before christmas. �*, ., ., , christmas. it's not ideal, is it? and it's not — christmas. it's not ideal, is it? and it's not the _ christmas. it's not ideal, is it? and it's not the first _ christmas. it's not ideal, is it? and it's not the first time. - christmas. it's not ideal, is it? and it's not the first time. not j and it's not the first time. not great — and it's not the first time. not great really. quite frustrating because — great really. quite frustrating because the little one school is closed — because the little one school is closed and its nativity season. i�*m closed and its nativity season. i'm a plumber. _ closed and its nativity season. i'm a plumber. i _ closed and its nativity season. i'm a plumber, i cannot even get water. what _ a plumber, i cannot even get water. what do _ a plumber, i cannot even get water. what do you — a plumber, i cannot even get water. what do you make _ a plumber, i cannot even get water. what do you make of _ a plumber, i cannot even get water. what do you make of this? - a plumber, i cannot even get water. what do you make of this? chaos, l a plumber, i cannot even get water. | what do you make of this? chaos, in a word _ what do you make of this? chaos, in a word. frustrating._ a word. frustrating. southern water sa s it is a word. frustrating. southern water says it is sorry _ a word. frustrating. southern water says it is sorry for everything - a word. frustrating. southern water says it is sorry for everything that l says it is sorry for everything that is happening, the problem exists at a water plant near stop the problem itself is fixed, the issue now is refilling something like 520 miles of pipes and they tell us they cannot do that quickly otherwise you will get burst water mains and other sorts of problems so that means some customers will not get their full pressure back until the weekend. a southern water spokesperson told us

they understand the frustration that this is happening on a day that bills are going up but they say without investment, you will get even more of these problems. duncan, thank you. uk interest rates will remain at 4.75% after the bank of england voted to hold borrowing costs. it comes despite three out of nine members of the bank's rate—setting committee wanting to reduce it to 4.5%. the split opens the door to a rate cut as soon as february, though the governor andrew bailey said he could not commit to when or by how much rates would change next year. thousands of shipbuilding jobs been secured after a deal was agreed to buy belfast shipyard harland and wolff — best known for building the titanic. spanish state—owned business navantia stepped in after the northern irish company, which also has sites in scotland and england, went into administration for the second time in five years. the business and trade secretary jonathan reynolds called the deal �*a major vote of confidence in the uk'. working with the potential bidder, in this case navantia, we've been able to get to a better

solution that guarantees all the yards, alljobs, delivers the fleet support ships for the ministry of defence, doesn't waste any taxpayers' money and gives us a much better solution for the long term. the labour minister, tulip siddiq, has been named in an investigation which claims herfamily embezzled nearly £4 billion from infrastructure projects in bangladesh. our political and investigations correspondentjoe pike joins us. joe, talk us through what's being alleged here? all of this relates to tulip siddiq's van sheikh hasina, who until earlier this year was the prime minister of bangladesh. she had ruled that country for two decades before fleeing the country earlier this year. she was widely seen as an autocrat who clamped down on dissent and since leaving office has been accused of various crimes tjy has been accused of various crimes by the current bangladeshi government. now her niece is tulip siddiq, labourmp government. now her niece is tulip siddiq, labour mp and labour minister, who has been named as part

of this anti—corruption investigation and accused of brokering and infrastructure deal with russia back in 2013, when it is alleged £1 billion was siphoned off into private hands. we know tulip siddiq did attend a meeting with their aunt anne vladimir putin in 2013 before she was an mp, although labour have previously said she was there as a member of her family, not in any official capacity. tulip siddiq has not responded directly to us, but in the last hour, keir starmer�*s spokesman has told us she denies the allegations. she is not involved in a new government policy related to bangladesh, and the prime minister has full confidence in her. it's also important to stress that these allegations come from a political rival of her aunt, sheikh hasina, back in bangladesh. but what is awkward is that in herjob as city minister, she is responsible for tackling economic crime, money—laundering and illicit finance. joe, thank you. our top story this afternoon. gisele pelicot�*s former husband is jailed for 20 years

for drugging and raping her — and 50 more men are convicted of assaulting her at his invitation over decades. and staff shortages, sickness and rising demand from patients are putting gps under growing strain this winter, we'll find out more. coming up on bbc news... edging closer to an exit? bbc sport understands manchester united forward marcus rashford will not be involved in his side's league cup quarter—final tie against tottenham in london this evening. there are calls for extra funding to deal with xl bully dogs, as figures suggest that since they were banned, kennels are full or near capacity in more than half of police force areas in england and wales. on 31st december last year, it became illegal to sell, give away, abandon or breed from an xl bully in england and wales. anyone choosing not to keep their animal had

untiljanuary 31st to take it to a registered vet to be put down. and since the 1st of february this year, it has been a criminal offence to own one, without an exemption certificate. data obtained by the bbc shows police have destroyed more than 100 dangerous dogs a month since the ban was introduced. our reporterjim connolly has been speaking to those affected — including one woman attacked by an xl bully dog after the ban was introduced. that must have been the bottom jaws, because that's what was shredded. end up on the wrong side of an xl bully, and the scars take a long time to heal. so that was the top jaws of the dog. and then the worst bit is the shredding. that part was like a horror movie, because i could actually see the blood pumping out of my arm. come on, tilly! come on. injune, walking in her quiet norfolk village, lisa was attacked by an xl bully. after the ordeal, you'd think she'd hate dogs. that couldn't be further from the truth. she adores them, especially her beloved duke. she was walking him

when they were attacked. it was so powerful. it just literally was just hanging off my arm. and no matter what i was trying to move or, i just couldn't get it off. ijust remember thinking that, you know, "this is it. what am i going to do? there's no way i can get it off me". you've got, i mean, a giant dog, literally here. what's going through your head? well, ijust thought, "it's going to kill me". ijust thought, "that's it". people nearby heard her screams and rushed to her rescue. and i asked them to get my phone and ring my husband, ring sean, because i wanted to say goodbye. when we asked police forces in england and wales, they gave us exclusive figures suggesting they're dealing with an increased number of dangerous dogs, and seizing more of them. xls are banned unless owners have them exempted. the law in england and wales describes them as large dogs with muscular bodies and blocky heads. do you think the xl bully ban works?

the ban�*s come in, and you've been nearly mauled to death. the law is useless, you know, in my mind, ijust thought, "well, what's the point of having any laws whatsoever?" it's just scary. it's just an epidemic. critics say the legislation is hard to apply because xls aren't a recognised breed, so assessing them is not straightforward. this facility is new. we've had to invest in it. now, police chiefs are warning that the cost of dealing with the law keeps on rising. there would definitely be a strong request for the government to consider additional finances. if you look at the veterinary bills plus the kennelling, by the end of the financial year, we'll be in excess of 25 million. the government told us the ban is an important measure to protect the public, and it expects all owners to comply with strict conditions. good boy! patiently waiting for a treat, pippa the xl bully is well trained by owner hannah. you get a lot ofjudgment and some out on walks, you can get avoided. and you know, when we adopted him,

family members didn't want to meet him. they didn't want to have contact with him. but actually, when people do meet him, they realise he'sjust like any other big, soppy dog. i think it's very unfair to pin everything on his specific breed. so at the moment, i feel like the wrong people are getting punished. those responsible owners are getting punished, whereas the people that you know, do want them for the wr