that s the message sent by the european central bank as it ploughs ahead with plans to raise rates, despite sluggish growth in the eurozone, and turmoil in the banking sector. the ecb s main interest rate was hiked by 50 basis points to 3.5% as it tries to keep a lid on rising prices. but the language from policymakers has begun to strike a new note, dropping a reference, used in previous statements, to the need to raise rates significantly going forward. agnese ortolani is a europe analyst at the economist intelligence unit. so, we have had this rate rise within the last hour. give us a sense of what this tells us. they don t seem to be overly concerned about the banking sector. yes indeed, about the banking sector. yes indeed. the about the banking sector. yes indeed, the ecb about the banking sector. 13; indeed, the ecb decided about the banking sector. yes indeed, the ecb decided to go ahead with this, because it is related to inflation the euro zone, so it is infla
as thousands of teachers and junior doctors walk out in disputes over pay. oscars glory for the short film an irish goodbye. james martin talks to us about hobnobbing with the stars on the day he turned 31. manchester city in seventh heaven as star man erling haaland scores five. pep guardiola s side thrash rb leipzig and ease into the champions league quarterfinals. good morning. under clear skies last night, the northern lights once again when clearview, but under those same clear skies it is a cold start with a widespread frost, the risk of ice and some sunshine, but rain piling in from the west preceded by snow, but also milder air. i will have more later. good morning. it s wednesday 15th march. our main story. chancellorjeremy hunt will today announce his spring budget, with an expansion of free childcare for working parents in england expected to be top of the list. getting thousands of people into work, including those with disabilities and people on universal credit,
job vacancies in the uk fall for the eighth time in a row, according to latest figures published ahead of wednesday s budget whether government is expected to encourage more people back to work. a state of emergency s been declared in malawi, after tropical storm freddy struck the country for a second time, killing nearly 100 people. hello and welcome to bbc news. the leaders of the us, britain and australia, meeting in california, have unveiled details of their plan to create a new fleet of nuclear powered submarines, aimed at countering china s influence in the indo pacific region. under the aukus pact australia is to get its first nuclear powered subs at least three from the us. beijing has strongly criticised the significant naval deal. our political editor, chris mason, has more from san diego. military band plays. a packed and democracies coming together to tackle a new and growing adversary, china. , . . . china. australia and the united kinudom china. australia
in decades, jeremy hunt wants get millions of those seen as economically inactive back working. how? i ll have the details. and former england rugby player tom youngs speaks to bbc breakfast for the first time since his wife died from blood cancer lastjune. the loneliness probably the one which really gets you. and which really gets you. and which really -ets you. you think, i will rin- someo but and you think, i will ring someone, but it s and you think, i will ring someone, but it s still and you think, i will ring someone, but it s still not the same as having but it s still not the same as having someone there to talk to. we are having someone there to talk to. are gearing having someone there to talk to. - are gearing up for the opening day of the chelsea festival mac cheltenham festival, the highlight of the british jump cheltenham festival, the highlight of the britishjump racing calendar. it is a cold start to the day, a risk of ice on untreated surfaces, a
the dispute, and outbreaks of violence, forced the authorities to postpone a planned state visit by the british monarch, king charles. meanwhile, separate demonstrations have begun in western france, linked to concerns over water usage by large scale agricultural producers. it s feared the disputes could converge at a time of growing tensions. earlier i spoke to our paris correspondent bethany bell and she explained the background of the protests. the most dramatic one at the moment is this one we are seeing pictures of in western france, this was a demonstration that has been planned for a while. it was always expected to attract radical protesters, and we ve seen at least two police vehicles in flames. we understand that police have used tear gas, and that police have used tear gas, and that protesters have thrown fireworks at police, and there has also been use of water cannon. this is a separate protest from the very big protests we have seen against president macron s pe