in just two months this year, the national crime agency says there have been 111 arrests. l affairs correspondent, dominic casciani. another day, another anti—slavery operation. police! over the last six months, the national crime agency has coordinated operations to smash trafficking and slavery gangs. this suspected brothel, run in the north—east of england, just one of many that's been raided. today a new analysis from the agency suggests the true scale of modern slavery is far greater than previously suspected. this man from romania was coerced into hard labour. the gang controlled his life for four months until he got out. it's just horrible, i tell you, it's just horrible. even now, ijust feel like my heart is start beating a little bit. i think we cannot call them people. modern—day slaves are tricked into uk by gangs promising a better life, and coerced into work they can't escape from. women forced into prostitution make up to £600 a day. men are trapped in gruelling work in food processing or agriculture, and victims are on the high street in nail bars and car was

in just two months this year, the national crime agency says there've been 111 arrests. re's our social affairs correspondent, dominic casciani. another day, another anti—slavery operation. over the last six months, the national crime agency has coordinated operations to smash trafficking and slavery gangs. this suspected brothel, run in the north—east of england, just one of many that's been raided. today a new analysis from the agency suggests the true scale of modern slavery is far greater than previously suspected. this man from romania was coerced into hard labour. the gang controlled his life for four months until he got out. it's just horrible, i tell you, it's just horrible. even now, ijust feel like my heart is start beating a little bit. i think we cannot call them people. modern—day slaves are tricked into uk by gangs promising a better life, and coerced into work they can't escape from. women forced into prostitution make up to £600 a day. men are trapped in gruelling work in food processing or agriculture, and victims are on high street in nail bars and car w

the national crime agency saying that every large towns and cities probably —— has people involved inf slavery whether it is in agriculture or domestic labour. it isa in agriculture or domestic labour. it is a really shocking story and modern slavery has been a huge focus of theresa may which she was in the home office and tried to carry on when she was in number ten but the interesting element of the story is that prosecutions of slavery and trafficking fell last year from 129 to 96. it is obviously taking some time for all these new measures that theresa may brought in to clamp down on modern slavery to come through and work. to be fair to the national crime agency, they made the point that rather like terrorism, people are not necessarily charged under terrorism offences, they are charged... well, not normal, but non—terrorist related offences. these may have been charged with rape or drugs or money—laundering offences. so they may not reflect the full picture. what is true, is that the anti—slavery commissioner raised concerns that the anti—fashion —— the national crime agency and

slavery and human trafficking in the uk is "far more prevalent than previously thought", the national crime agencyons has said cases the food standards agency has said that 700,000 potentially contaminated eggs from dutch farms have been sent to the uk, up from an earlier estimate ofjust 21,000. the agency said it was very unlikely that there was a risk to public health. now all the sport. the us pga championship is under way at quail hollow, withjordan spieth attempting to become the youngest winner of golf‘s career grand slam. but it‘s three other americans who lead the way. jim herman has just jim herman hasjust taken jim herman has just taken a jim herman hasjust taken a 1—shot lead, head of grayson and gary woodland. a shot behind jim lead, head of grayson and gary woodland. a shot behindjim herman, who is on four under. the best placed paul casey and lee westwood, and tommy fleetwood and chris wood are all there within four shots of the lead. team captain eilidh doyle will be hoping to win just a second medalfor great britain at the world athletics championships. she‘s in the final of the 40

the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. ial affairs correspondent, dominic casciani. another day, another antislavery operation. over the last six months, the national crime agency has automated operations to smash trafficking and slavery gang is. this suspected brothel in north—east england isjust this suspected brothel in north—east england is just one of many being raided. today, new analysis from the agency suggest the true scale of modern slavery is far greater than previously expected. this man from croatia was coerced into hard labour. a gang controlled his life forfour months labour. a gang controlled his life for four months until he got out. labour. a gang controlled his life for four months until he got outm is just horrible. even for four months until he got outm isjust horrible. even now for four months until he got outm is just horrible. even now i feel like my heart has stopped beating a little bit. i feel like like my heart has stopped beating a little bit. ifeel like you cannot call them people. modern-day s

for six months the national crime agency has been spence fig effo rts crime agency has been spence fighas found it is a problem in every large town and city in the uk and it can't quantify the estimates, but the previous estimates, but the previous estimates are very short of mark. which suggests this has been around for a lot longer and someone somewhere has been dragging their feet. i think that is the criticism today. what we have had in the last two years today. what we have had in the last two yea rs is today. what we have had in the last two years is new laws under a modern slavely will passed by parliament that. was supposed to increase sentencing and create an anti—slavery commissioner. he last night said in a newspaper interview he had real concerns that there had been a lot of feet being dragged on this, because he said there was intelligence on national data bases about the gangs and the victims which hadn't been acted upon fast enough and we know anecdotally that some police forces locally have been more focussed on this than others. the nca this morning in its defence said

crime agency has been dealing with this problem? i think, crime agency has been dealing with this problem? ithink, credit crime agency has been dealing with this problem? i think, credit to the nationalously. we are concerned in the us aid, thousands of deaths per year are attributed to these drugs. up to 100 in the uk in these drugs. up to 100 in the uk in the last year. it is important to develop a multi—agency response to this to make sure we do invest and preserve our spending on treatment, opioid substitution therapy, making sure people can access treatment easily. there are also emergency overdose prevention drugs available. the department of health and public health england have issued guidance around increasing the prescribing of this. we need to make sure drug users, who are going to be potentially exposed to fentanyl, have access to treatment but also to the drugs that can reverse an overdose. 0verall, the drugs that can reverse an overdose. overall, we need to make sure we continue to invest in our drug services and drug treatment services. professor, thank you very much indeed. the headlines on bbc news: the government and labour have criticised the owner of british gas,

that's the stark warning from the national crime agency, which says there are more than 300 police operationsurrently investigating slavery and trafficking crimes. the agency says it was shocked by its findings — and warns that previous estimates that the number of victims in the uk are between ten and 13,000 mayjust merely represent the "tip of the iceberg". earlier i spoke to our home affairs correspondent who said it was not easy for the authorities to obtain an exact estimate of the number of victims affected by human trafficking. i don't think we'll ever know for sure because by definition this is a hidden crime. in many respects this is a crime of the modern age. what this is about increasingly is organised crime, gangs, operating across international boundaries to maximise their profits by shipping people around and treating them like commodities. what appears to have been happening in the uk is a growing concern, certainly among authorities, that this is a problem which was soaking up more and more of the attention of organised crime. turning their attention from drugs into shipping p

the national crime agency says the scale of the problem in the uk is far more prevalent than previously

there have been six months of intensive operations from the national crime agency coordinating red acrossy with global police forces and international partners. the more it has looked, the more it has found. before today we had an estimate of about 10,000 — 13,000 hidden victims across the uk. but it says it is the tip of the iceberg, it cannot count how many are out there. one third of known victims are british, but people from all sorts of nationalities in the uk are being forced to work across great britain against their will. each of them is most likely today to come across somebody. the director of vulnerabilities says he is directed by what he has found. we have seen people being moved across and into the country for the purposes of being exploited and there was a case of a 12—year—old girl for labour exploitation. we are seeing people as young as 13 and 14 being sexually exploited and being engaged in prostitution. this is a growing problem to which we think there is a shared responsibility across society in the united kingdom to be addressed. the nca said it has stepped up efforts

the director of the national crime agency's child exploitation and 0nline protection command, will kerr exists, vulnerable people are being exploited in every large town and city across the united kingdom. it affects every nationality, offenders and victims. it isa nationality, offenders and victims. it is a symptom of the fact criminals and crime gangs have recognised whilst you might be able to sell drugs once make a profit, you can exploit vulnerable people repeatedly and make a lot of money from it. in terms of what we have seen, i will start again... we have had previous figures of 10—13,000 of being an estimate of victims, is it no longer reliable, that figure? we think that figure will significantly increase. what we've been doing in a project in the last six months, lead and coordinated by the national crime agency, is to pick a theme or type of exploitation of vulnerable people and for a week every month engaged in intensive lorenzen falls in activity across all 43 police forces in the united kingdom, border force, immigration control, to try and geta force, immigration control

the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fentanyl — that's according to the national crime agencye drug that was linked to the death of the rock legend prince, and is 50 times more potent than heroin. these latest figures mightjust be the tip of the iceberg. there are another 70 cases in which fentanyl is the suspected cause of death. asjune kelly reports, two thirds of the known deaths have been in the yorkshire, humberside and cleveland areas. the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. fans gathered near his home in minnesota where his body was found. # purple rain... a year on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of the drug fentanyl. it was unclear where he had got it from and no one was charged over his death. fentanyl is a drug used to treat cancer patients. but now police in the uk are becoming concerned at its growing use by drug addicts here. it is said to be 50 times more powerful than heroin. and it is killing people. sean, who does not want his face shown, lost a sister to a suspected fentanyl overdose a few mon

the national crime agency.eresting, in 2015 we passed the modern slavery act. in that year, the number of prosecutions for slavery related offences was 12. the following year, it had gone up 51 prosecutions, making 63 in all. this year, we have had this report saying police actively looking into 300 cases. you satisfied there are the tools to prosecute and bring to justice? that there are the tools to prosecute, definitely. we do not have an array of offences and we have seen people in the uk be prosecuted, one of the first prosecutions was a couple from nigeria who had brought with them a domestic servant. and essentially treated her badly, beat her, did not let her go out, worked out all the hours of the day. they were prosecuted successfully for offences against... of slavery. we do have the legal tools. whether we have the resources and the knowledge to actually identify people who are living in slavery is another question. that is i think what the report today was highlighting, that it isa report today was

the headlines at seven: modern slavery in the uk, the national crime agency say they are shocked by thens of thousands of victims being exploited. it's just horrible. even it'sjust horrible. even now, ijust feel like my heart started beating a little bit. a new threat from north korea — it says it's ready to launch missiles towards the island of guam, home of a us a naval base nhs. nhs figures show that waiting lists hit a ten—year high in england. other key targets including urgent referral for cancer care have also been missed. also in the next hour: the number of potentially contaminated eggs sent to britain from dutch farms is much higher than initial estimates. the food standards agency says 700,000 may have reached the uk, but stresses that any risk to public

the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims.an rights lawyer, cherie blair, has long campaigned against modern slavery. she spoke to us earlier. it's surprising, actually, where these people can turn up. it could be the people who are picking strawberries in the fields, if you are in a rural area. it could be the girl who is doing your nails in the nail bar that doesn't speak very good english and seems very shy and frightened to speak. it could be the guy washing your car in one of these hand carwash places. so these are the sort of places — and of course, the sex industry is an industry where there are very many such people. also making news today: fresh protests in venezuela after a fifth opposition mayor was sentenced to prison. the court found mayor david smolansky guilty of failing to prevent anti—government protests. four other opposition mayors have also been found guilty of similar charges. the sentence comes as the us imposes sanctions on more government officials. international observers have expressed confidence in k

britain's national crime agency says at least 60 people have died in the uk over the past eight monthsverdose of a powerful painkiller, which at street level dealers often mix with heroin. fentanyl is usually given to cancer patients, and it was linked to the death of the rock star, prince. june kelly reports. the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. 12 months on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of fenta nyl. now the drug which killed this showbiz a—lister and has taken the lives of addicts across america is responsible for an increasing number of deaths in the uk. fentanyl is a painkiller used to treat cancer patients. it's 50 times stronger than heroin. it's been linked to the deaths of 60 people in the uk and there's an even more powerful substance, carfentanil, which can be up to 10,000 times stronger than street heroin. we talk about people playing russian roulette with these type of drugs. it's becoming an extremely dangerous game now with the carfentanil addition into the heroin. sean, who does not want his face sho

that's the warning from the national crime agency. number of people affected by modern slavery across britain is thought to be in the tens of thousands, and people may encounter victims in everyday life without realising. more than 300 police operations are currently targeting the criminals involved, and in the months of may and june, 111 arrests were made across the uk. 0ur uk affairs correspondent jeremy cooke has been given exclusive access to teams working to combat modern slavery. i should warn you that his report contains flashing images. 0n the move in bradford. sounds like they need our help. martin is an investigator with the charity hope forjustice, a team dedicated to fighting modern slavery. today, it's urgent work. it looks like they've been exploited for a period of time. within minutes he's on location. you're looking at the first moments of freedom for a polish couple desperate enough and brave enough to run from those who trafficked and exploited them. tonight we report on how modern slavery destroys lives. those dedi

the national crime agency says the scale of the problem in the uk is far more prevalent than previously. it says every large town and city in the uk is now home to victims. police investigating an assault after a jogger appeared to push a woman into the path of an oncoming bus in putney have arrested a 41—year—old man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. and from despair to delight — just two days after being barred from the heats of the world athletics championship 200 metres, isaac makwala gets a chance to run for gold in tonight's final. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. north korea has called donald trump bereft of reason, saying only absolute force can work on him as it gave more details about its threat to an american military base in the western pacific. the regime — which is reported to have developed the ability to attach nuclear warheads to its missiles — says it's considering firing four rockets towards the american territory of guam. president trump says north korea's threats will be met with fire and fury. south korea has appealed for calm. our correspondent

the national crime agency are doing that in south yorkshire. the victims say in court. and getting these vulnerable people and wrapping the care around them, bringing them to court, educating the prosecution, the cps. and educating judges as well as to how you conduct a case, where there may be one victim, their witnesses and perhaps nine barristers for the defendants, all having their aggressive questions. it is not easy. i want to ask you one more question before we leave this story. many people will want to know this. there has been criticism that none of the senior members of your force we re of the senior members of your force were cleared by the ipcc. why haven't more senior officers being held responsible for what some people say are quite clear failings? a lot of people ask that question in south yorkshire. it seems as if the senior leadership can get away with these things, but the more junior members of the force... these are difficult things to investigate. it takes resources. i don't know if too much time has now gone by. but there

the national crime agency says the scale of slavery in the uk is far bigger than previously thought —ery large town and city in the country. the war of words escalates — donald trump says his "fire and fury" threat against north korea was possibly not tough enough. nhs waiting lists have hit a ten—year high in england. other key targets, including urgent referral for cancer care, have also been missed. 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. millions of pounds wiped off the value of blue—chip stocks. investors spooked by the simmering tension between the us and north korea. now it's time for meet the author. felicia yap‘s cv reads like a character from a book. after a childhood spent in kuala lumpur, she's been a biochemist, a war historian, a catwalk model, and she won a half blue in competitive ballroom dancing at cambridge university. if that wasn't enough, she's now written her first novel, which was snapped up for a 6—figure sum, aftera bidding war. i

the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fentanyl — that's according to the national crime agency was linked to the death of the rock legend, prince, and is 50 times more potent than heroin. june kelly reports. the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. # purple rain... fans gathered near his home where his body was found. 12 months on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of fenta nyl. it was unclear where he got it from and no one was charged over his death. fentanyl is a painkiller used to treat cancer patients. police in the uk are becoming increasingly concerned by its use here, it is said to be 50 times stronger than heroin and is killing more people. sean, who does not want his face shown, lost his sister to a suspected fentanyl overdose a few months ago. she had bought some. she knew what she bought as it was from the dealer. they found her two days later on the toilet dead. in most of the deaths, fentanyl had been mixed with heroin for a biggerfix. they are that far gone on heroin and the other drugs and the lifesty

the national crime agency says that 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after takingng drug fe nta nyl. it's 50 times more potent than heroin and is the drug that was linked to the death of the rock star, prince. now dozens more deaths are being investigated. the painkiller is usually given to cancer patients, but it's increasingly being added to heroin and other class a drugs asjune kelly reports the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. fans gathered near his home in minnesota where his body was found. # purple rain... 12 months on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of fenta nyl. now the drug that killed this showbiz a—lister is responsible for an increasing number of deaths in the uk. fentanyl is a painkiller used to treat cancer patients. it's 50 times stronger than heroin. it's been linked to the deaths of 60 people in the uk and there's an even more powerful substance which can be up to 10,000 times stronger than street heroin. we talk about people playing russian roulette with these type of drugs. it

national crime agency says modern slavery and people trafficking in the uk is a far larger problem thanreviously thought. it is victims are likely to be found anywhere from the high street to a farm. there are likely to be tens of thousands of people affected. more than 300 police operations are currently targeting the criminals involved and in the months of may and june, 111 arrests were made across the uk. jeremy cooke has been given exclusive access to teams working to combat modern slavery. i should warn you his report contains flashing images. 0n the move in bradford. sounds like they need our help. martin is an investigator with the charity hope forjustice, a team dedicated to fighting modern slavery. today, it's urgent work. it looks like they've been exploited for a period of time. within minutes he's on location. you're looking at the first moments of freedom for a polish couple desperate enough and brave enough to run from those who trafficked and exploited them. tonight we report on how modern slavery destroys lives. those dedicated to stopping the traffickers know the road t

the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. and this is trending on bbc.com. pop star, taylor swift, has described in court the moment she says she was groped by radio dj, david mueller. the pair were being photographed ahead of a concert. she alleges he reached under her skirt and fondled her. mr mueller denies the charges. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: the food standards agency says 700,000 potentially contaminated eggs from dutch farms have been sent to the uk, up from an earlier estimate ofjust 21,000. the agency said it was very unlikely that there was a risk to public health. now on bbc news, all the latest business news live from singapore. more troubles for the founder and formal boss of uber. a lawsuit for fraud. and how much is too much? we break down what expecting parents should be expecting for their newborns. good morning, asia. hello, world. welcome to another edition of asia business report. it's a friday. thank you forjoining us. i'm rico hizon. we start off with uber. the former chief e

i think the national crime agency would agree. because there is more focus on itand agree.being introduced into the uk in 2015, more cases are being uncovered all the time in lots of different industries, including farming, factories, hotels, nail bars, et cetera, as was the more traditional ones like sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. that is it, isn't it? that recognition of what modern slavery is. lots of people would be confused as to how one is dragged into modern slavery. what happens?” as to how one is dragged into modern slavery. what happens? i think there are different methods used by different perpetrators, surfer example, there is the loverboy techniques, where people will pretend to be in love with a young woman, men will pretend to be in love with a young woman. they will say, i can get you a job in the uk. come with me. they bring them over and the first thing they do is hand them over to another member of slavery ring. is it always foreigners, mostly foreigners, who are found in modern slavery?‘ foreigners, mostly foreigners, who are found in modern

this first of all from the national crime agency.model, officers from west midlands police arrested one man in connection with the kidnapping. he is 36 and was arrested at an address in birmingham. this was on a european arrest warrant, issued by the italian authorities. we are told he is due to appear at westminster magistrates‘ court on the 17th, tomorrow, and the national brown agency says it is providing —— national crime agency says it is providing support to the italian police over the kidnapping of chloe. another piece coming from the house of commons, about big ben and the plans to effectively silences for the next four years to carry out essential maintenance work. when parliament returns, the house of commons says after the summer recess, in light of concerns expressed by a number of mps who have been saying that they were unaware that big ben was going to be silent for quite so long, the house of commons commission will consider the length of time that the bills will fall silent. 0f the length of time that the bills will f

we've obtained a secret transcript of xy's interview with the national crime agency, which was calledgations. much of it is so sensitive that it's been blacked out. but in the extracts we can read xy claims the police operation was racist, that he was tasked by his handler to plant drugs at the homes of the grooming gang and even told to take vulnerable girls to parties. he asked me at one point go pick one up and bring her to the house and bring some drugs with you... so i'd go and pick up these lasses take them to the party, leave some drugs on the table. the claims caused an outcry in the court room. the prosecution wanted the whole issue debated in secret but the bbc challenged that, which is why we can now tell you the full story. defence lawyers argued that xy's claims so discredited the police case, it was fatally flawed and the trials should be abandoned. years of investigation and a multi—million pound enquiry were injeopardy. the prosecution has expressed incredulity at our complaint about the deployment of xy. a convicted child rapist who drugged a child, then contacted som

the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. there were 111 arrests across the uk in may and june. canada is investigating why at least one of its diplomats stationed in cuba has needed treatment for hearing loss and headaches. american diplomats in havana have also experienced strange physical symptoms. us media suggest cuban agents may have used a covert sonic device that causes hearing loss. one of britain's most successful playwright is best known for his shows about the middle class. he is now entering the world of science fiction forfirst time. now entering the world of science fiction for first time. his new play debuts at the edinburgh festival today. it is set 100 is from now when a deadly contagion has separated men from women. it was, i think, an attempt by me to bridge my ageing writing personality to a younger generation, and the way to do that, i thought, was through the medium of science fiction. science fiction is a great leveller. it gives you an even playing field, where you say to your younger audience, "now t

some news from the national crime agency. ys the majority of those who died were heroin. two—thirds were in the yorkshire, humberside and cleveland areas. a 25—year—old man from gwent has been charged with investigations into the supply of synthetic opiates. the united nations commissioner on human rights zeid ra'ad al hussein has called on the venezuelan government to release two opposition leaders, who've been re—arrested just two days after a controversial vote to change the country's constitution. the daughter of one of the men — antonio ledezma — posted this video on social media. she says it shows her father being taken away by officers from the intelligence service. the wife of the other man — leopoldo lopez — said she would hold the president responsible if anything happened to her husband. earlier our south america correspondent, will grant, sent us this update from caracas. authorities in venezuela have claimed for a long time that they're not a dictatorship as has been said by the opposition over and over. but this

the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. there were 111 arrests across the uk in may and june. canada is investigating why at least one of its diplomats stationed in cuba has needed treatment for hearing loss and headaches. american diplomats in havana have also experienced strange physical symptoms. us media suggest cuban agents may have used a covert sonic device that causes hearing loss. it has just gone liz30am. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's political and economic crisis is precariously poised. the maduro regime is determined to rewrite the constitution to strengthen its grip on power. the opposition is intent on using mass protest to bring the government down. the current stand—off is not sustainable, but which side will prevail? my guest is isaias medina, until last month the venezuelan diplomat at the un. now an anti—maduro dissident. can maduro outlast his enemies? isaias medina, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you so much, stephen. i would like to express my gr

the national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims.. they were photographed head of a concert. she said he reached under her skirt. mr mueller denies those charges. stay with us here on bbc news. now it is time for hardtalk.

britain's national crime agency says 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fentanyl. dealers often mix it with heroin but it is 50 times more potent. it was linked to the death of the rock star, prince. the american secretary of state, rex tillerson, has insisted the us is not seeking to topple the north korean government and wants dialogue with pyongyang. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. my guest today has been called america's greatest living crime writer. in his la quartet and many other novels, james ellroy has painted a uniquely dark portrait of this city of angels, a nightmare world of psychotic killers, corrupt cops and depraved appetites. ellroy writes of what he knows, his own mother was murdered when he was a child. and is that simple, terrible fact the key to understanding all the words he's ever written? james ellroy, welcome to hardtalk. hey, boss, what's shaking? we are going to talk about 35 years of novel writing and of your books has been set in and around los angeles. absolutely untrue

the national crime agency says tens of thousands of people are being held against their will and exploited

the national crime agency says british citizens are among the largest groups forced to work against their will. under threat or as a way for paying debts along with nigerians vietnamese and people from eastern europe. face in london have arrested a man on suspicion of pushing a woman into the pulse of a bus. the cctv footage showed a male children looking a pedestrian on to the road as she walked across the bridge on the river thames. the thirty three year old woman only escaped serious injury thanks to the quick reactions of the pop strike up. the boss can be seen swerving to avoid the woman's head. not to venezuela weather continued political turmoil in forming oil revenues mean many kant even afford basic services. the government is running out of money and the social programs which once provided a lifeline of being caught. as catty book katie wilson reports from caracas the health sector is among one of the most vital areas feeling the shortages. the road to motherhood has been especially hard for media. after three failed pregnancies voices came along against the odds. then three mon

the uk's national crime agency says that sixty people have died in the uk in the past eight months afteraking the painkilling drug fentanyl. it's 50 times more potent than heroin and is the drug that was linked to the death of the rock star, prince. now on bbc, hardtalk. my my guest today has been called america's greatest living crime writer. in his la quartet and many other novels, james ellroy has painted a uniquely dark portrait of this city of angels, a nightmare world of psychotic killers, corrupt cops and depraved appetites. the rights of what he knows, his own mother was murdered when he was a child. and it is that simple terrible fact the key to understanding all the words he's ever written? james ellroy, welcome to heart block -- hardtalk. hey, boss, what's shaking? i have but i came back. i made a conscious decision with my new novel to craft a second la quartet, taking characters from the initial la quartet, said in a lay between 1946 and 1958, and initial la quartet, said in a lay between 1916 and 1958, and the aforementioned underworld usa trilogy, three novels set in ameri

the uk's national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. 111 arrests were made across the uk in may and june. the us and canada are investigating reports that cuba may have used a sonic device to damage the hearing of its diplomatic staff in havana. the us said its diplomats were taken ill. one canadian is reported to have had hearing loss and headaches. washington has expleed two cu ban diplomats. now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's political and economic crisis is precariously poised. the maduro regime is determined to rewrite the constitution to strengthen its grip on power. the opposition is intent on using mass protest to bring the government down. the current stand—off is not sustainable, but which side will prevail? my guest is isaias medina, until last month the venezuelan diplomat at the un. now an anti—maduro dissident. can maduro outlast his enemies? isaias medina, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you so much, stephen. i would like to express my gratitude not only to you personally but to hard

the national crime agency says there are likely to be tens of thousands of victims. this story is trending on bbc.com: taylor swift has described in court the moment she was grouped by radio dj david mueller. they were photographed head of a concert. she said he reached under her skirt. mr mueller denies those charges. stay with us here on bbc news. now it is time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's political and economic crisis is precariously poised. the maduro regime is determined to rewrite the constitution to strengthen its grip on power. the opposition is intent on using mass protest to bring the government down. the current stand—off is not sustainable, but which side will prevail? my guest is isaias medina, until last month the venezuelan diplomat at the un. now an anti—maduro dissident. can maduro outlast his enemies? isaias medina, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you so much, stephen. i would like to express my gratitude not only to you personally but to hardtalk and the bbc for representing objectively the hardships tha

the national crime agency says that 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after takingkilling drug fentanyl. it's 50 times more potent than heroin and is the drug that was linked to the death of the rock star prince. now dozens more deaths are being investigated. the painkiller is usually given to cancer patients, but it's increasingly being added to heroin and other class a drugs, asjune kelly reports. the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. # purple rain... a year on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of fenta nyl. the drugs that killed this showbiz a list is responsible for an increasing number of deaths in the uk. fenta nyl increasing number of deaths in the uk. fentanyl is a painkiller used to treat cancer patients. it is 50 times stronger than heroin. it has been linked to the deaths of 60 people in the uk and there is an even more powerful substance which can be up to 10,000 times stronger than street heroin. we talk about people playing russian roulette with these type of drugs. it is an extremely da

uk in the past eight months after taking the painkilling drug fenta nyl — according to the national crime agency linked to the death of the rock legend prince, and is 50 times more potent than heroin. these latest figures mightjust be the tip of the iceberg — there are another 70 cases in which fentanyl is the suspected cause of death. asjune kelly reports two thirds of the known deaths have been in the yorkshire, humberside and cleveland areas. the rock legend prince died suddenly last year at the age of 57. fans gathered near his home in minnesota where his body was found. # purple rain... a year on, medical examiners concluded his death was due to an accidental overdose of the drug fentanyl. due to an accidental overdose of the drug fenta nyl. it due to an accidental overdose of the drug fentanyl. it was unclear where he had got it from and no one was charged over his death. fentanyl was a drug used to treat cancer patients. but now police in the uk are becoming concerned at its growing use by drug addicts here. it is said to be 50 times more powerful than heroin. and it is killing people. se

today the national crime agency said that it is responsible for the deaths of at least 60 drug users beginning of the year and may be implicated in another 70. its killing potential is evidence by the figures in america where the 19% rise in drug deaths last year — to 59,000 - is attributed to fentanyl. among them was the pop star prince. we'll assess in a moment what britain can do to tackle the problem. but first, i spoke earlier to assistant secretary of state william brownfield — he's responsible for anti—narcotics policy in america. i started by asking him how the problem with fentanyl developed in the us. here in the united states in the late 1990s there was a demand by patients on their doctors and the medical community to provide them with painkillers. the doctors, trying to be responsive to their patients, asked for support and help from the american pharmaceutical industry who produced opioids. not surprisingly as we moved into the 21st century, the prescriptions and growing numbers of people that were regularly using opioids developed eventually into a dependency and an ad

the national crime agency says 60 people have died in the uk in the past eight months after taking the tests are taking place in a further 70 cases where it's suspected fentanyl and an even more powerful su bsta nce ca rfe nto nyl may have played a part. the nca says the ‘vast majority‘ of those who've died were heroin users. two—thirds were in the yorkshire, humberside and cleveland areas. we have reviewed 109 deaths to date. the 109, we have found 16 cases a potential link to fentanyl. there are pending cases for toxicology samples. in the humberside region, including cleveland, we have 50 positive links and 73 cases pending. we will probably see a hiatus in its use, and a peak in deaths, as people start to come to terms with its toxicity. but we will continue to act on any intelligence we receive as law enforcement, and seek to remove those seeking to deal or import it. that statement was made by west yorkshire police in the last few minutes. some of the other stories making bbc news at five: british gas raises its electricity prices by 12.5%. the hike will affect three million cust