hugh pym, bbc news, glasgow.ber security centre has confirmed that russian hackers have targeted the uk media, telecoms and energy sectors over the past year. ciaran martin said it was a "cause for concern" and accused moscow of "seeking to undermine the international system." at least 15 people have died in flash floods in greece. three towns to the west of athens were hit by a torrent of water caused by heavy overnight rain. locals said the damage was on an unprecedented scale in the region. that's a summary of the news. newsday is coming up at midnight. now on bbc news it's time for newsnight with emily maitlis. we wish to make it abundantly clear that this is not a military takeover of government. tonight, the dictator who said he wanted to live to 100 and rule for life is stuck in his house. is mugabe's regime at an end? and what happens to zimbabwe now? we'll ask two zimbabweans with very different perspectives, and later the africa minister, rory stewart. also tonight — is mark zuckerberg's tour of middle

hugh pym, bbc news.licly accused the hollywood actor and theatre director kevin spacey of sexually assaulting her son last year. the us news presenter heather unruh told a press conference that mr spacey had plied her son with alcohol and assaulted him ina bar. it's another allegation added to a growing list against mr spacey. and the actors‘ union, equity, has told the bbc that the problems of sexual harassment are endemic in the industry at all levels. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. injuly 2016, actor kevin spacey sexually assaulted my son. the tears of a mother in boston today, revealing what she claimed happened to her son. the victim, my son, was a starstruck straight 18—year—old young man, who had no idea that the famous actor was an alleged sexual predator or that he was about to become his next victim. journalist heather unruh‘s tweet about kevin spacey last month triggered all the allegations against him. today, she went public and the police are now investigating. to kevin spac

hugh pym, bbc news.atre director kevin spacey is facing fresh allegations of sexual misconduct tonight. the us journalist heather unruh has told reporters that her son was sexually assualted by mr spacey last year. mr spacey has not responded to any of the allegations. the actors‘ union, equity, told the bbc that the problems of sexual harrasment were endemic in the industry. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. injuly 2016, actor kevin spacey sexually assaulted my son. the tears of a mother in boston today, revealing what she claimed happened to her son. the victim, my son, was a starstruck straight 18—year—old young man, who had no idea that the famous actor was an alleged sexual predator, or that he was about to become his next victim. journalist heather unruh‘s tweet about kevin spacey last month triggered all the allegations against him. today, she went public and the police are now investigating. to kevin spacey, i want to say this. shame on you for what you did to my son. the bbc has in

hugh pym, bbc news, birmingham.x—free allowance will rise to £11,850. and for higher rate tax payers, the threshold is lifted to £46,350. duty on beer, wine, spirits and most ciders will be frozen— but duty on high strength ciders will go up. duty on tobacco will rise by 2% above inflation. but car tax for all but the cleanest diesel cars will go up a band from april, but no increase for vans. and there was good news for small businesses — the threshold for small businesses to pay vat is being kept at £85,000. let's talk to our political editor, laura kuenssberg, at westminster. there was so much build up to this budget, talk of rows between number 10 and 11, dark mutterings about whether it might cost the chancellor his job — so, has he managed to pull it off? i think if anybody was hoping for something dramatic, huge moves in this budget, they would have been disappointed. it wasn't the kind of radical reboot some tory mps wanted. it wasn't the kind of budget that will go down in history as the kind that could cha

hugh pym, bbc news.ager has publicly accused the hollywood actor and theatre director kevin spacey of sexually assaulting her son last year. the us news presenter heather unruh told a press conference that mr spacey had plied her son with alcohol and assaulted him in a bar. it's another allegation added to a growing list against mr spacey. and the actors union equity has told the bbc that the problems of sexual harassment are endemic in the industry at all levels. our special correspondent lucy manning reports. injuly 2016, actor kevin spacey sexually assaulted my son. the tears of a mother in boston today, revealing what she claimed happened to her son. the victim, my son, was a starstruck straight 18—year—old young man, who had no idea that the famous actor was an alleged sexual predator or that he was about to become his next victim. journalist heather unruh‘s tweet about kevin spacey last month triggered all the allegations against him. today, she went public and the police are now investigating. to

hugh pym, bbc news, birmingham.in today's budget. they include the personal tax—free allowance rising to £11,850 and for higher rate tax payers the threshold rises to £46,350. duty on beer, wine, spirits and most ciders will be frozen, but duty on high—strength ciders will go up. duty on tobacco will rise by 2% above inflation. car tax for all but the cleanest diesel cars will go up from april, but there'll be no increase for diesel vans. and the vat threshold for small businesses will stay the same at £85,000. a few of the other measures mr hammond introduced today. in a moment, we'll speak to our political editor, laura kuenssberg, in westminster. first though, i'm joined by our business editor, simonjack. i suppose, really, isuppose, really, simon, the sense of the business world's reaction to the budget? the brief is don't stand on any landmines when he went after the self—employed trying to put up national insurance. he didn't put fuel duties on diesels. he didn't lower that vat threshold. when you have to regi

our health editor, hugh pym, reports.le dying each week from alcohol problems, minimum pricing has been on the agenda for over five years, but it's only today the government can plan to implement it. though it won't be popular with everybody. it's not going to stop anybody buying it. it's probably quite a good thing. i actually work as a community psychiatric nurse, so we get a lot of people addicted to alcohol and things like that. the changes will mean prices of some of the cheapest alcohol in scotland increasing sharply. this four pack of beer costs £1.00, it's set to rise to at least £4.00. this bottle of wine is currently £2.80, in future it'll be at least £4.69. and this £11.00 bottle of vodka will be at least £14.00. ministers were celebrating, saying it was a step forwards in tackling the country's unhealthy relationship with drink. the policy is, you know, by its very nature, controversial because, you know, again, this is an example of scotland leading the world. it will continue to have its critics, but it's th

hugh pym, bbc news. and you can see the full investigation...bc one at 10.30pm on sunday evening. a brief look at some of the day's other other news stories: there's to be an independent inquiry into the death of the former welsh government minister carl sargeant. first minister carwynjones said yesterday he welcomed scrutiny of his sacking of sargeant, who was found dead on tuesday. the minister was being investigated over claims of sexual harassment and is understood to have taken his own life. a teenage boy who sent a naked photo of himself to a schoolgirl has won the first stage of a legal battle to remove his name from a police database. the boy's lawyers told the high court, sitting in manchester, that storing the information breached his human rights. marseille's former manchester united defender patrice evra has been banned from playing in european club competitions until the end ofjune. he aimed a kick at the head of a marseille supporter ahead of a game in the europa league last week and has also been fined 10,000 euros. football, and

hugh pym, bbc news.est rates means nearly four million households face higher mortgage payments. but what about savers? they should see their money start to earn a little more interest. but some of the country's biggest banks are yet to confirm that they will pass on the full rise to customers. simon gompertz is with me. to what extent does it happen, do people see an increase? those big banks don't seem to be doing it yet. the likes of hsbc, barclays, lloyds, the big ones have said rates are under review for savers. here is some of the ones who have moved already. nationwide, tsb, yorkshire, skipton and newcastle, west brom, coventry, they've said to a greater or lesser extent they're raising interest rates. the governor of the bank of england said that providers must pass on the gain from higher interest rates to savers. it's early to say the big banks are defying the bank of england in this. we have to wait, they'll review it and we will see what they pass on and to what extent, whether it's the full

hugh pym, bbc news.ct committee that it's currently investigating 25 cases of alleged sexual harassment. not all of the individuals, facing allegations, are thought to be current staff. a number of the cases are believed to be historic involving people who've worked for the bbc, or for third parties associated with the corporation in the past. nicola sturgeon has offered a formal apology to gay men convicted of sexual offences that are no longer illegal. the first minister's apology coincided with new legislation that will automatically pardon gay and bisexual men convicted under historical laws. 0ur scotland editor, sarah smith, reports. flying the flag with pride, nick and phil are celebrating today. all the way from the castro, san francisco. from the castro, in san francisco. they've seen changes in the law that have allowed them to openly live together and to marry, but a decade's old conviction for a homosexual offence has plighted nick's life. as a religious education teacher, he lived in fear of

hugh pym, bbc news.ce say a fast food delivery driver is in danger of losing his sight and in a critical condition after having acid thrown in his face in north london. the incident was one of two attacks on delivery drivers last night. officers have arrested a 14—year—old boy. our correspondent danjohnson is in, walthamstow where one of the attacks took place. the impact of this is horrific on a man who was just doing his job. yes, 2a hours ago a man rode his scooter down here to deliver a ta keaway scooter down here to deliver a takeaway when he was set on by two young men who tried to steal his bike. he had a corrosive substance, possibly an acid, thrown in his face. he is currently in an induced coma in hospital with serious injuries to his face, eyes and throat. if he lives, he may never see again. that is why there has been such a big police investigation today, why the street is taped off and officers have been searching through homes, gardens, bins and vehicles, trying to find clues to lead them

our health editor hugh pym is in glasgow.h officials have said for some time that they want targeted measures aimed at high strength alcohol, drinks sold primarily through off—licences and retail outlets, because of the misery caused them a life lost and challenges for the nhs. with this new minimum unit price for alcohol of 50p and after a lengthy legal battle, scotland will believe in the way. in scotland with 22 people dying each week from alcohol problems, minimum pricing has been on the agenda for overfive minimum pricing has been on the agenda for over five years but only today have the government been able today have the government been able to plan to limit it. although it won't be popular with everybody. it's not going to stop anybody buying it. it is probably quite a good thing. we get a lot of people addicted to alcohol and things like that. the changes will mean that the prices of some of the cheapest alcohol in scotland will increase sharply. this four pack of beer costs £1 but it is set to rise to at least £4. t

our health editor hugh pym reports. getting health consultations as easy as online banking and shopping. it is being launched by a group of london gps and the lot —— online healthcare provider avalon. nhs patients will be able to book appointments and check symptoms. those signing up will leave their existing factors with their records transferred to a group of five central london gp practices —— babylon. the service that promises a video consultation with a cheap piece within two hours and if required a face—to—face meeting with a doctor within 48 hours —— agp. irra it is high time nhs patients were given the opportunity to benefit from technology to improve access to healthcare. —— technology to improve access to healthca re. —— it technology to improve access to healthcare. —— it is high time. technology to improve access to healthcare. -- it is high time. we have developed technology in so many aspects of our lives, shopping or banking. it is really about time we are able to do that for healthcare for nhs patients.

our health editor hugh pym reports.ew drugs and treatments but they have an complaint it takes too long for them to be approved for use by the nhs. the government says it once to streamline the process in england so that new drugs for diseases like cancer and devices to manage conditions like diabetes can be made available to patients more rapidly. under what is called the accelerated access process, it will be cut by as much 23 years. treatments will be selected for fast track treatment. this number could be increased annually in future. there at various stages that any product has to go through in terms of regulatory improvement and cost effectiveness. the idea is to bring them all together to run a parallel which will make the process much more quick so those things that really have life changing impacts on people and they can be brutal was on. it could and bureaucratic delays and speed up access to drugs. the association says it government will see is welcome and should benefit thousands of patients but no extra nhs

hugh pym, bbc news.m. the redthread teams, based in four a&e trauma units in london, try to intervene and divert young people away from gangs at the moment they've been injured and are in hospital. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds was given rare access to the project. can we get two chest drain kits out, please? it's early evening in resus. they're preparing for an incoming patient. designated code red. we know this is a young man who's been stabbed and has been stabbed multiple times in the chest, legs, arms. his life will be in the hands of the huge team of medics. who's going to do blood for me? you will do blood for me, thank you... we spent four days with dr emer sutherland's team. someone just put a finger on a pulse for me and we'll take handover. everyday, there was at least one stabbing victim, sometimes several. see you guys in 15, 20. this young man is 16, he's been stabbed four times. because of his age we can't film his treatment, but the doctors here say that having a patient like

hugh pym, bbc news.has turned her council flat in hemel hempstead into her very own masterpiece. inspired by michelangelo's frescoes in the sistine chapel — she's decided to open her home and reveal what she's been working on. i'd never seen the sistine chapel. but i wanted it to be a bit like that. i like to think that i've left behind a piece of life. when i eventually go to heaven, the council will paint over this, or magnolia. all of this 40 years of painting that i have actually done, it will be the end of it. i like to think some of it will live on, even when i'm not here. diana keyes and her amazing home. it's that time of year already — the christmas ads are coming out, and this year paddington leads the charge for m&s, and kevin the carrot makes a comeback for aldi. today moz the monster made his debut forjohn lewis — but can he measure up to the tear—jerkers of years gone by? let's take a look. # i've been lost, i've been found #... they can share ours... my name isjim. my name is otto. pleased

hugh pym, bbc news.il on our website and if you would like to get in touch with me and some of the team you can do that via social media. now it is time for sport today. hello, this is sport today, live from the bbc sport centre. coming up on this programme: it has been described as a dark day in the world of rugby, as samoa's international team is declared bankrupt. the test that could swing the series. we look ahead to the inaugural women's ashes day—night test down under. and the most—wanted man in boxing. and the refugee who fled syria and ended up at the rio olympics. hello and a very warm welcome. our top story: and world rugby is being urged to carry out a review into the governance of the samoan rugby union, after it was declared bankrupt on wednesday. the pacific islands prime minister has been urging members of the public to donate money to help pay their players, ahead of the autumn internationals.

hugh pym, bbc news.his party faces criticism for his promotion months after he was rebuked for sexually harassing an activist. it's emerged labour is also investigating a formal complaint against former shadow cabinet member clive lewis — who denies any wrongdoing. and scotland yard is investigating an allegation that the hollywood actor, kevin spacey, sexually assaulted a young man in london. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. the ftse 100 the ftse100 closed for a record high for the second time in a month. now on bbc news, it's time for the film review with jane hill and mark kermode. hello and welcome to the film review on bbc news. to take us through this week's cinema releases is mark kermode. so mark, what do we have this week? so we have kenneth branagh‘s take on murder on the orient expression. killing a sacred deer from yorgos lanthimos.

hugh pym, bbc news. out female genital mutilation on his daughter. it is only the second fgm prosecution to be brought in the uk. the man who has not been identified for legal reasons denies all the charges. our correspondent is at woolwich crown court. 0nly correspondent is at woolwich crown court. only the second prosecution, explain what has been heard in court? this man cannot be identified because the identity of his child needs to be protected. he is facing £2 under the 2003 fgm act and is accused of carrying out the process between 2010 and 2013. he is facing child cruelty charges relating to that daughter and other—macro other girls. he denies all the charges, he has been released on bail. this is only the second fgm prosecution we have seen in this country, in the previous case, the two defendants we re previous case, the two defendants were acquitted and they included an nhs doctor. thank you. just to tell you some news that has come through relating to everything we have been reporting on in s

hugh pym, bbc news.k, clydesdale bank are among the banks who have passed on the first rise in interest rates in a decade to customers. ben's here with the latest details on who's immediately affected. good morning. we saw the interest rate rise by the bank of england, the first in ten years. more than ten years. but then the questions, when do mortgage repayments go up? it isa when do mortgage repayments go up? it is a familiar term. we've seen overnight that a lot of the big banks have raised the cost of borrowing for anyone with a mortgage. remember if you are on a fixed it doesn't affect you. as already a lot of criticism that they've been slow to put up the interest rate for savers because it has been a common picture. we've seen that savers have missed out while interest rates have been low and its big mortgage holders that have benefited from cheap borrowing costs. we've now seen that rate rises have gone up more than ten yea rs. rises have gone up more than ten years. a rises have gone up more th

hugh pym, bbc news. allegations. theresa may says she wants to create a new culture of respect in the workplace. later today, i will convene a meeting with my fellow party leaders to discuss establishing a new common, robust and independent weavers procedure for parliament. because those working for members of parliament should not have to navigate different party systems depending on their employer‘s political affiliation. we need to establish a new culture of respect at the centre of our public life. one in which eve ryo ne of our public life. one in which everyone can feel confident that they are working in a safe and secure they are working in a safe and secure environment, where complaints can be brought forward without prejudice and victim is no that these complaints will be investigated properly. and where people‘s careers can be damaged by unfounded rumours circulated anonymously online. —— can not be damaged. 0f anonymously online. —— can not be damaged. of course people can be friends with thei

our health editor, hugh pym, reports. in england. i think they are now working on the edge of safe services. we are seeing so much pressure on the front line. so what we've got to do is make sure that we can really manage that demand, but also increase the workforce. and here at kingston hospital in south—west london, they say uncertainty over what brexit means for eu staff has added to the workforce problem. so the worry is the turnover of staff, the loss of the skilled, experienced people we have, but also the supply lines for the future of making sure we can recruit people, therapists, nurses, doctors from the eu. can we attract them in, in this very unstable environment? including nurses, doctors and support staff, kingston hospital employs 3,000 people. last year, 460 staff were eu nationals. this year, that's fallen to 384, though the trust says it's managed to fill the gap from elsewhere. i met some members of staff at the hospital affected in different ways by brexit. i've had colleagues in tears. they believe the

our health editor hugh pym reports. the pressure on the nhs is growing. find enough beds to admit new patients, partly because of difficulties discharging elderly patients, caused in turn by problems with social care. a group of mps now says that a long—term sustainable settlement is needed and that only a cross—party nhs and care convention can deliver that. in the letter written to the prime minister and the chancellor, the mps say: and: senior conservative labour and liberal democrat backbenchers are among those who signed the letter. i think the nhs and social care are huge issues for our generation and we've got to get it right and i think it's bigger than just one party. the mps also call for action in next week's budget to address the short—term pressures on the system. a government spokesperson said it was recognised there was broad agreement across parliament, that social care reform was a priority, and there would be consultation ahead of a policy paper next year. malcolm young, co—founder and guitarist of the australian rock band ac/dc has died

our health editor hugh pym is outside the meeting venue.g, we can't do it? in effect they are saying that is the case as things stand at the moment. but after the budget allocation of more money for the nhs in england, 1.6 billion, announced by the chancellor, even after that this is what we think we can and can't do. they say they want to prioritise cancer treatment, mental health and also primary care. that is gp services. and stick to already announced commitments on that front. when it comes to waiting time standards, that means commitments, for example, with routine surgery, that patients have their procedures within 18 weeks, even the a&e, 95% of patients being treated within four hours, those are very much up in the air. a key phrase in a board —— word paper discussed this morning says this. without offsetting reductions in other areas of care, nhs constitution waiting time standards in the round will not be fully funded and make next year. this is now all up for discussion with the government in the next few months. fairly fraught d

our health editor hugh pym is here. that's an enormous leap in price for the same drug.he way the drugs industry works is that if you have the patent to a drug it is your exclusive product and you can set the price although patent it drugs, the price is capped in an agreement with the government here in the uk. when it goes generic as it's known, in other words anyone can make that drug, it's assumed the price will fall. what seems to have happened in a number of cases for niche drugs like this one is a company comes in, buys the right to market it, no one else bothers to compete so it pushes up the price and but allegedly is what's happened here. the views of the regulator are that concordia abused its position, and a 6000% increase over ten years to the nhs. one consultant i spoke to earlier explained the big difference in prices when he went elsewhere in the european union. historically liothyronine was probably a cost to the nhs of about £20 to £30 a month. the new cost was over £300 a month. the patients were telling me they could go to a foreign capital and buy it

our health editor hugh pym is here.aring with downing street and across whitehall government policy statement on children and adolescent mental health in england. that is due in the next few weeks and he is meeting today with saucy —— with social media companies as pa rt —— with social media companies as part of the process. he thinks they need to be part of the solution to the broader mental health problems for young people and he called the mint, representatives of facebook, google, twitter, microsoft and snapchat and he challenged them on what they were doing about cyber bullying, but there were going to do about underage use of social media young people. a spokesperson for facebook and instagram said they very much wanted to promote a good experience on social media, they we re experience on social media, they were happy to work with ministers and they were taking initiatives, for example automated filters to do with offensive content. is anything likely to happen as a result of this move? jeremy hunt has asked them

leaders, who have been meeting to discuss what level of service they can deliver. 0ur health editor hugh pym are not going to be available either at all, or without a considerable wait. that's right. this was nhs england's formal response to the budget, after having warned before the chancellor's speech that there would be significant increases in waiting lists, if there wasn't a big cash increase. the treasury did allocate more money but nhs england says it's not enough and the result next year will be patients waiting longer and key targets are waiting for routine surgery key targets are waiting for routine surgery and an a&e just won't be met, because there is in the money to do so. they are there to give patients assurances about quality of care. what's more, if clinical rudiger —— clinical regulators come up rudiger —— clinical regulators come up with approval of new treatments and so on, nhs england won't allow them to go out to patients unless they are considered affordable. the health secretaryjeremy hunt has responded in comments, saying the government is absolutely committed to nhs

our health editor, hugh pym, is here. we keep being told the nhs is under enormous strain.me treatments are not going to be available either at all or without a considerable wait. that is the case. the head of nhs england simon stevenson warned before the budget that without a significant increase in funding waiting lists for routine operations would rise rapidly. a week afterwards, the board of nhs england have set them to review the invocations of the money awarded by the chancellor, philip hammond, and they are saying that without significant cuts it is not enough to meet the waiting time targets for routine surgery, 18 weeks, or the 95% of patients being treated or assessed in a&e within four hours. the department of health says enough money has been given to allow the nhs to bring down waiting lists but stand by for a set of pretty fraught negotiations now between nhs england and the department of health over what can be delivered next year. if these waiting time targets are not diluted in some way, many will save the key legal guarantees of care for patients are being

our health editor, hugh pym, is here.one a pilot scheme, which has proven very popular, and it is very bookable in a big, urban centre, with people coming into work, working long hours, who don‘t want to ta ke working long hours, who don‘t want to take time off and wait two weeks foran to take time off and wait two weeks for an appointment. but they want to check their symptoms quickly on their smartphone. they can get a video consultation with a gp within two hours. if they need to see a gp face—to—face, the promise is no more than 48 hours, and prescriptions e—mailed online to a local pharmacy. lot of convenience there. but people are saying, what if you have a complex medical condition? you may wa nt to complex medical condition? you may want to see the same gp every time. the continuity may not be there. the oncology of gps say there is a danger of creating a two tiered nhs. this may applicable to younger, healthier commuters, but less so for the sickest in society. they fear that money will be moved away into a provi

hugh pym, bbc news.w is nic bungay, the director of campaigns, care and information at muscular dystrophy uk. very good to have you with us. and muscular dystrophy uk is one of the charities that has been campaigning for this development so you must be very pleased. how significant could this be for people with muscle wasting conditions? we're giving today's cautious welcome. time really is of the essence. in a year waiting for treatment, the ability to walk could be lost or long muscles irreversibly damaged so we hope this new scheme can go some way to end those delays and speed up access to emerging treatments. solicitors about buying time and a better quality of life along the? absolutely. i think that's an important point but we also feel the government could go even further still. we got some concerns that read as these drugs could be overlooked as part of the scheme and we know that the department of health has said that about five trucks can be looked at every year. but we know that there are so m

hugh pym, bbc news.at the firm. earlier, i spoke to bbc correspondent nick higham and began by asking him what happened. anyone trying to access the account last night, around 7pm, washington time, which is 11 o‘clock british time, got this message. it was only off for about 11 minutes, and twitter subsequently said it had been inadvertently deactivated due to human error. but later, they expanded that to say that a customer service employee had taken the account down on their last day at work. i think we can assume that that person was not a trump enthusiast. what has been the reaction? trump himself reacted in a bullish way, tweeting at 6am, washington washington time, when he got up, saying, "i guess word must finally be getting out, and having an impact." boasting about how important his twitter feed is. there were lots of people celebrating. trump supporters took a rather different view, one suggested the celebrations proved once again that liberals love censorship and hate free speech. there were w

our health editor hugh pym, gave us this update. patent to a drug, it's your exclusive product and you can set the price, although patented drugs, the price is capped within an agreement with the government here in the uk, when it goes generic and off patent, in other words anyone can make that drug, it's assumed that the price will fall. but what seems to have happened in a certain number of cases for quits niche drugs like this one is a company comes in, buys the rite to market it, nobody else bothers to compete so it ends up with the power to push up so it ends up with the power to push up the price. that is allegedly what found here, the finding is that concordia used market dominance in supply and this was an abuse of position and a 6,000% price increase over ten yea rs position and a 6,000% price increase over ten years to the nhs. one co nsulta nt over ten years to the nhs. one consultant i spoke to earlier explained the big difference in prices when he went elsewhere in the european union. historically the drug was probably

our health editor hugh pym reports. the pressure on nhs is growing.s that hospitals will continue to struggle to find enough beds to admit new patients, partly because of difficulties discharging elderly patients, caused in turn by problems with social care. a group of mps now says that a long—term sustainable settlement is needed and that only a cross—party nhs and care convention can deliver that. in the letter written to the prime minister and the chancellor, the mps say: senior conservative labour and liberal democrat backbenchers are among those who signed the letter. i think the nhs and social care are huge issues for our generation and we've got to get it right and i think it's bigger than just one party. the mps also call for action in next week's budget to address the short—term pressures on the system. a government spokesperson said it was recognised there was broad agreement across parliament, that social care reform was a priority, and there would be consultation ahead of policy paper next year. donald trump has announced the suspension of

hugh pym, bbc news.ore on that story later in the programme when chloe speaks to patients and doctors about how the move affects them. the syrian army has retaken one of the the last major strongholds of so—called islamic state, according to state television. the city of deir al—zour, near the border with iraq, has been "completely liberated from terrorism" according to the report. the is group had held most of the city since 2014. the militant group is now confined to a few remaining pockets elsewhere in the province. eight former catalan government ministers have spent a night behind bars after a spanishjudge refused to grant them bail. they've been charged with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds in connection with the attempt to make catalonia independent from spain. tens of thousands of catalans staged a protest against their detention. a warning for you — this report from our reporter tom burridge contains flashing images from the start. in the police vans are eight men and women who a w

the ruling is a massive victory that will help reduce the harm caused by drink. 0ur health editor hugh pymm pricing has been on the agenda for over five years but only today have the government been able to plan to limit it. although it won't be popular with everybody. it's not going to stop anybody buying it. it is probably quite a good thing. we get a lot of people addicted to alcohol and things like that. i work as a community psychiatric nurse. the changes will mean that the prices of some of the cheapest alcohol in scotland will increase sharply. this four pack of beer costs £1 but it is set to rise to at least £4. this bottle of wine is £2.80 but in future it will be at least £4.69 and this £11 bottle of vodka will be at least £14. ministers celebrated saying it was a step forwards in tackling the country's unhealthy relationship with drink. the policy by its very nature is controversial because again this is an example of scotland's leading the world. it will continue to have its critics but it's the kind of bold and necessary policy that we need to tackle the public health challeng

earlier our health editor hugh pym explained what was going on.ding, waiting lists for routine operations would rise rapidly. a week afterwards, the board of nhs england have set down to review the implications of the money awarded by the chancellor, philip hammond. and they are saying that without significant cuts it is not enough to meet the waiting time targets for routine surgery, 18 weeks, or the 95% of patients being treated or assessed in a&e within four hours. the department of health says enough money has been given to allow the nhs to bring down waiting lists. but stand by for a set of pretty fraught negotiations now between nhs england and the department of health over what can be delivered next year. if these waiting time targets are diluted in some way, many will say these key legal guarantees of care for patients are being fiercely undermined. more now on our day of special coverage on brexit and the border question — one of the three key areas, along with citizens rights and the divorce bill that the eu says have to be resolved befo

hugh pym, bbc news.e. three other britons have returned home safely. the latest revelation from the paradise papers involves three actors from the bbc‘s hit sitcom mrs brown's boys. they diverted more than £2 million into an offshore tax—avoidance scheme. president trump says guns are not to blame for the mass shooting in the united states in which 26 people died. as we've been hearing the cbi is having its conference today, and the prime minister, theresa may, and the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, have been addressing business leaders. our business correspondent rebecca marston is at that conference in greenwich. hi, simon, good afternoon from the cbi conference, a great number of businesses are members of this lobbying group, around 200,000 affiliated members who employ around 7 million people in this country, almost a quarter of the uk workforce. in the wall behind me there is only room for about 1500 delegates from those organisations, and it has been standing room only for some of the sessions. you

hugh pym, give us your overall impression, how significant are the announcements for our nhs?” that money? you can only use it to bring in staff, agency workers, overtime, and it is difficult to find people to do extra shifts. you have 1.6 billion revenue funding for nhs into next year. the think tank had asked for 4 billion next year and simon stevens had not disassociated himself from that number. you have 1.6 of day—to—day spending and capital on top but the view is it falls short. i'm sure some will say there is money for the nhs and they are complaining again but the pressures are so intense it needed something significant the next couple of years and it is welcome to appoint that does not go as far as they wanted. they will be relieved that if and when nurses get a pay rise and it looks like the pay cap has gone, or what the rise will be is another matter, that the chancellor will not ask the hospital like the one behind due to fund it out of its existing budget, he will find extra money, is that right? that is right. the chancellor said when it came to nurses pay, the pa