good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the bank of england has raised interest rates from 3.5 to li% their highest level since 2008. the increase will leave millions of households facing higher mortgages at a time when many people are already struggling with energy and food bills. it will also have an impact on repayment charges on bank loans and credit cards but it is better news for savers, who should get a higher return. the bank of england says the increase will help to curb rising prices. our economics correspondent andy verity reports. in leeds like every where else, the cost of keeping up a mortgage isjumping, because of interest rates. stu is used to saving after spending much of his life on a minimum wage. he got a better paying job as a librarian, but like many, his wages have stagnated. when his mortgage expired his payments went from £90 a month to £360. i thought the days of checking the bank balance were gone. but they re back with a vengeance now. it is
welcome to bbc news broadcasting to viewers in the uk and around the world. it s seven in the morning in singapore, and in manila where there s been a big strategic development in the pacific rivalry between the us and china, with america sealing a deal to greatly increase its military presence in the philippines. it s seven in the morning in singapore, and in manila the agreement was signed off by the us defence secretary lloyd austin, after talks in the capital of the philippines. it represents a change in approach by president marcos. previous adminstrations tended to weaken their ties to washington. the deal gives the us access to four more military bases in the philippines, which will make a total of nine. neither country has said exactly where the new locations would be although it has been acknowledged that washington has requested access to bases on the northern land mass of luzon, the closest part of the philippines to taiwan, and on the island of palawan, facing
celebrations to mark the start of 2023 are being held around the world with rio the latest city to welcome the new year in the past hour. earlier, crowds thronged the streets of capitals from warsaw and stockholm in the east, to brussels, paris, madrid and london where the countdown was projected within the london eye as midnight approached. a spectacular firework display lit up the skies for around 12 minutes, in what was thought to be the largest display in europe, with over 12,000 fireworks. there were tributes to the late queen elizabeth, to ukraine s resistance against russian invasion, and 50 years of pride celebrations. 0ur correspondent greg mckenzie was soaking up the atmosphere amongst the many thousands of revellers on the banks of the river thames. i am absolutely speechless. that was a 12 minute spectacular. the biggest firework display in the entire europe having taken place just a few minutes ago, and in an incredible way to start the new year. big ben, the
tonight with the context, brian taylor, political commentatorfor the herald, and leigh ann caldwell, political reporter for the washington post. welcome to the programme. there s been an evolution in the way the west views this war in ukraine, an evolution in the arms which nato countries are supplying first it was shoulder held stingers, then the hymars, next came the patriot missile systems, now it s a conversation over tanks. the red lines have shifted with the evolving nature of the war. in recent months, the allies have come to the opinion that a year long stalemate in ukraine is in no one s favour except russia s. so what would it take to allow ukraine to win rather than just avoid losing? what would ukraine require in order to punch through the russian defences in towns like bakhmut and soledar, from where the bbc s andrew harding reports. we are in an area where russian and ukrainian infantry now appear to be fighting at close quarters. clambering through the remain
for all of you watching in the uk, on pbs in the us and around the globe, welcome to bbc news as we bring you continuing coverage of the death of the brazilian footballer, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, pele. he died at the aged of 82 and had been suffering from cancer. during his career, he won three fifa world cups, the only player to do so, and received countless awards and titles. in brazil, he is hailed as a national hero for his achievements in football, and for his repeated calls to improve the social conditions of the poor. joe wilson reports on the life of one of the true greats. the greatest, it s opinion, but pele led, others stand on his shoulders. well over 1,000 goals, a career of over 20 years, three times a world cup winner. brazilian football, synonymous with flair and success, was built on pele. in 1958, pele took part in his first world cup tournament, aged just 17. he scored six goals in four matches, playing himself to the point of ex