this is bbc news. the headlines at apm: the deal which promised to resolve the long—running rail strike on southern rail has collapsed — raising the prospect of further industrial action. but this is about a safety critical member of staff, on very busy trains. they should be there. the new us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has met his counterparts from britain and russia at his first 620 summit, and vows to put american people first. the united states will consider working with russia when we can find areas of practical cooperation that will benefit the american people. more arrests in malaysia in connection with the airport poisoning of the north korean leader's brother — a total of three people are now being questioned. iamjane i amjane hill. also in this hour — could vitamin d be the secret ingredient to stop you from getting colds and flu 7 new research suggests three million cases could be prevented and food should be fortified with the vitamin. wildfires around christchurch in new zealand are brought under control, after hundreds of homes are evacuated.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. a deal which promised to resolve one of the country's longest and most damaging rail strikes — on the country's largest rail franchise — has collapsed, raising the prospect of further industrial action. train drivers, who are members of the trade union aslef, had been balloted about operating trains without a guard or onboard supervisor under certain circumstances. the proposed deal had been condemned as a "shocking betrayal" by the trade union that represents conductors, the rmt, who began the industrial action last april. their train driving colleagues have now rejected the deal, with 54% voting against it. aslef says it will respect the ballot of its members. southern‘s parent company,

govia thameslink railway, has reacted to the aslef vote. in a statement, they have said: ‘naturally, we're saddened and hugely disappointed, as will be our passengers, with today's decision by drivers, particularly as the agreement carried the full support and recommendation of the aslef leadership‘. and they conclude: ‘we now need to understand the issues which led to this outcome and we'll be seeking to meet with the union as soon as possible to see how we can agree a way forward'. our correspondent, alexandra mackenzie, is at aslef headquarters in central london. this time yesterday, people still thought this deal would go through, what's changed things? yes, absolutely, there were certainly high hopes for the outcome of this ballot, but that hope has diminished. we are not quite sure at this stage what the changed. what we

do know is this dispute has been going on for quite some time now, for around ten months. and the issues have been driver only trains and safety issues surrounding that, drivers saying that they don't want a driver only trains. and there has been a dispute over the role of conductors or guards on the trains because until now, they have been in charge of opening and closing the doors and now drivers, it is hoped the drivers will now take over that. that is what the dispute has been about and it has been going on for ten months. hopes were high that finally there would be an end to that. there was an agreement between aslef, the drivers union, and southern rail, and today what happened was that they put that the members and the ballot came back. there was a 72% turnout, so quite

high. the deal was rejected. by 54.1% of those who returned their ballots. so over half. the general secretary mike whelan aslef, we are at aslef and have not spoken to anybody in person, but he said, we understand and support the decision arrived at the democratically by our members and we will now work to deliver a resolution in line with expectations. as you have said, southern rail‘s own company have said they are saddened and disappointed about this. and passengers, it is one of the busiest routes in the country and passengers are weary, to say the least. and what happens next? possibly, they face more strikes and delays and more uncertainty. and you very much. one mp whose constituency is very much affected by the southern rail

dispute is caroline lucas, the green mp, her constituency is brighton pavilion and she spoke after that news came through and she said the announcement is disappointing for passengers, but she is not surprised that the deal has been rejected. the unions, i think, are doing this very reluctantly. they are losing pay when they do, and it's not about their pay, it's about passenger safety. i have heard from disabled passengers, for example, who are deeply worried about how they are going to be able to just get on and go on a train when there isn't a second person who is guaranteed to be on the train. we also know that this is more than just closing the doors. it often gets used as a quick way of describing what we're talking about, but this is about a safety critical member of staff, on very busy trains. they should be there. caroline lucas, the mp for brighton pavilion. let's hear the view of rmt. let's hear the view of rmt. mick cash is the general secretary of the rail, maritime and transport union. he joins us from outside the union's headquarters in central london. this is the largest rail franchise

in the country, it is an absolute mess, isn't it? well, yes. and the result today shows that there is real concern not only by our members who operate as conductors, but the train drivers about the operation of driver only operation, the company wa nt driver only operation, the company want to force through. we need now for the company to get round the table and see if we can come to a resolution to this dispute. table and see if we can come to a resolution to this disputem table and see if we can come to a resolution to this dispute. it is not just a resolution to this dispute. it is notjust a question of a company wanting to force it through because the leaders aslef came up with a deal and they said the members, we think this is a good deal, we should go with this. well, the train drivers have spoken and had a democratic ballot and they voted to reject the deal, which did not give a guarantee of a second safety person on every train. what we need now to do is to get round the table and to see if we can come up with the resolution that guarantees a second safety critical person that

helps the guard and helps passengers, especially vulnerable and disabled passengers, i'm very busy trains. we are there as a trade union bill looking for discussions as soon as possible. i have today contacted francis o'grady, the general secretary of the tuc, who helped broker this deal, to say we are available for talks and what we should be doing now together is to get round the table and try and resolve this dispute. if you are one of the hundreds of thousands who uses this line and relies on these lines to do yourjob on a daily basis, they are hearing what you say, but they think, we have been hearing this for almost a year! yes, and nobody wants to be in this position. you have got workers who operate the train services day in and day out, who are deeply worried and day out, who are deeply worried and deeply concerned about the operation of driver only trains. they feel it is unsafe and provides

a worse service and for a disabled person, it is completely worse service. why not listen to those workers? train drivers have voted today against it because they have deep—rooted concerns. our members have ta ken 28 deep—rooted concerns. our members have taken 28 days of industrial action. they do not want to, but they are fighting to keep a safe, efficient rail network, and we want the company now and the government to listen to these concerns of ordinary workers who day it in and day out what to provide a safe and efficient service and they do not believe that is on offer with the proposals from southern rail. southernwood —— southern rail would say they do listen and in the majority of cases, there will be two people on trains but the deal struck was on occasions where that is not possible, there might just was on occasions where that is not possible, there mightjust be one person on the train. their argument is that will not be a general rule across the board. well, if that was the case, they could give a

guarantee and we could work together to make sure in times of train disruption, trains can still run with a second person. we are open to those discussions. they did not want to do that, and i was with southern at talks on tuesday this week and they did not want to give a guarantee. they might say there is a guaranteed, but the reality was that was not there and our members and train drivers fully understand what a guarantee means. it make sure there is a second safety person on every train and that is a more effective and safer rail network. they don't want to do that and we believe now they should take stock, get round the table, the tuc brokered the last talks and we have written to the tuc general secretary to say, let's all get round the table and see if we can solve this dispute. that offer is open and we are putting on industrial action next week, not because we want to,

we feel we have two continue the fight. next wednesday, i would like to be negotiating with the employers, rather than standing on the picket line. can i put the of one passenger we spoke to? a season—ticket holder holder with southern rail who has enjoyed misery for the last year as so many thousands have, and his argument is what southern is proposing, i paraphrase, it is perhaps as good as you can hope for. he said, picture the scenario, people, 300 people waiting at london bridge to get on a train and for reasons of sickness, there is only one person rather than two, is it better to let that train go with one individual on—board, rather than cancel that service and have doubled the number of passengers trying to get on the next train which has two members of staff on board? he said, for me, that is theissue on board? he said, for me, that is the issue of passenger safety because i am suddenly on a train with 600, 700 people on it.

well, i can understand that frustration and this is a franchise and a company that has been failing long before this dispute started because they did not have enough staff. if they want to talk to is about making sure trains run when they have sickness, we should be sitting down to make sure we can do that. because we believe there are ways of doing that and putting staff on duty to cover eventualities like that which does not compromise safety. why not do that? could you put a date on when you think this will finally be resolved, how much longer is to passengers have to endure this? well, we don't want passengers to end your any inconvenience. but it is clear that gtr and the dft don't want to see a quick resolution to this. if they wa nt quick resolution to this. if they want to see a quick resolution, they would sit down and sort this around

a negotiating table and come up with guarantees. i offered the company on tuesday this week if they gave a guarantee of a second safety critical person on the train, to sit down and sort out the best method of train dispatch to do with the issues we have and to see if we can have arrangements in place during trains disruption so trains do not get cancelled. they said no to that. we will be talking about this again, i am sure, thank you for now at rmt headquarters. at 5pm ourtime, headquarters. at 5pm our time, there will be a news co nfe re nce at 5pm our time, there will be a news conference in the east room of the white house after the president trump has just announced that he will be announcing a new secretary of labour who he says is really phenomenal, he is a star, a great person, says donald trump. unlike the last choice and poster who had to withdraw from consideration after facing intense scrutiny for his

business record, he was ceo of c k e restau ra nts a nd controversy business record, he was ceo of c k e restaurants and controversy over his personal past. especially about employing a housekeeper not authorised to work in the united states. he said he had fired the employee five years ago and did not pay the related taxes until after trump nominated him. so a replacement has been chosen and he will name him, the really phenomenal, the star, the great person, five p.m.. the new us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has said america will work with russia, as long as moscow keeps its promise to try to defuse the conflict in ukraine. mr tillerson was speaking after a g20 meeting in germany with the russian foreign minister, sergei lavrov. foreign minister lavrov and i had a productive meeting, we discussed a range of issues of mutual concern. as i made clear in my senate confirmation hearing,

the united states will consider working with russia when we can find areas of practical cooperation that will benefit the american people. where we do not see eye to eye, the united states will stand up for the interests and values of america and her allies. as we search for new common ground, we expect russia to honour its commitment to the minsk agreements, and work to de—escalate violence in ukraine. rex tillerson speaking in bonn. our washington correspondent, barbara plett usher, is following the progress of the us secretary of state in bonn. she told me a little earlier that mr tillerson had so far been guarded and moderate in his approach, but had given indications that the us would, for now, be sticking to its policy line on russia. and ukraine. everybody here is wondering what us relations with russia will be like giving donald trump's repeated state m e nts giving donald trump's repeated statements he wants new and improved ties with the kremlin. he has talked about perhaps cooperating with

russia in counterterrorism, in syria, but not of that has been spelt out. and there have been concerns both here and also in the united states that he might lift sanctions on russia which were imposed over its invasion of crimea and its support. it is in east ukraine, in exchange for something else, if you look at the statement of man —— of rex tillerson, he says, we are sticking to the line, we will search for new common ground in the para meters search for new common ground in the parameters of russia keeping to its agreements, the peace agreements made in minsk about the escalating the violence in ukraine. he did not say anything about sanctions, but i think those watching closely will think those watching closely will think that is an indication the united states will keep pressing for these commitments to be carried out, possibly before it looks at lifting sanctions. and that measured tone is interesting because all countries will be watching rex tillerson very carefully for his tone, this

‘j'igjjjijj . uw.un,'iij;hj~;,. m 7 — —~ w— ‘him — —~ w— ‘ him because he is new for him as well because he has never been a diplomat before, never been in government before. he is being very careful and guarded and he said very little in public, the statement and is russia was cadburys acted. he read it and he walked out, he took no questions. —— was carefully studied. he had a conversation with borisjohnson and he comes take stock of them and they can take stock of him and that is latitude here from people. they know he is new to the job and this brief. and they will give him leeway on that. but they also want to be convinced they have a conduit to washington and the white house, especially given the turmoil we are seeing and uncertainties about the policies. the relationships he establishes and the contacts he makes here, his first experience on the world stage, very important to

the world stage, very important to the world stage, very important to the world policy going forward. the headlines on bbc news: the deal which promised to resolve the long—running rail strike on southern rail has collapsed raising the prospect of further industrial action. the new us secretary of state rex tillerson has met his counterparts from britain and russia at his first you 20 summit, vowing to put american people first. more arrests in malaysia in connection with the airport poisoning of the north korean leader's of brother, three people have now been questioned. and is bored, referee mark clattenburg is leaving the premier league to become saudi arabia's new head of referees, he was chosen to officiate the finals of euro 2016, the champions league and the fa cup last year. a decision of the future of arsenal manager arsene wenger will not be made until the end of the season and it will be mutual. speculation intensified at arsenal's heavy champions league defeat to bayern munich. and back to studying forjackson

page who has been knocked out of the welsh open snooker at the being beaten 4—0 byjudd trump in round three. more on those stories at 4:30 p.m.. the death toll of a car bomb in baghdad has risen to 48. the attack occurred in the south of baghdad, amid a new wave of violence in the iraqi capital. the vehicle was parked in a street full of workshops and used car dealer. the malaysian authorities have confirmed that the man who died after being poisoned at kuala lumpur airport is the half—brother of the north korean leader, kim jong—un. three people, two women and a man, are now in custody in connection with his death on monday. from kuala lumpur, karishma vaswani reports. it has been three days since the mysterious death of a man at kuala lumpur airport on monday and still no answers. malaysia confirmed for the first time today that the dead man is north korean leader kimjong—un's half—brother kim jong—nam,

travelling on another passport. i think he carries two different identities. probably, this is an undercover document. this is an authentic passport. two women, one shown here in police custody, have been arrested so far. officials say one is an indonesian, while the other was carrying a vietnamese passport. a third suspect, a malaysian male, has also been detained. but we don't know what they have to do with kim jong—nam's death and we still don't know how he died, or what he was doing in malaysia, but we do know that he did come here fairly frequently. we understand that this is one of the restaurants kimjong—nam used to frequent when he was in malaysia. the restaurant owner said that he would regularly come here and would regularly bring bodyguards as well. i spoke to the owner of the restaurant on the phone. he was too scared to talk in person.

did kim jong—nam ever tell you that he was worried for his life, that someone might kill him? but at the north korean embassy in kuala lumpur, all was quiet. instead, the focus in pyongyang has been on the 75th celebrations of kim jong—il‘s birth. north korea hasn't said anything about the death of kim jong—nam and it is highly unlikely it ever will. in this secretive regime, unanswered questions are a way of life. there's just one week to go before a crucial by—election in the stoke—on—trent central constituency. the vote, along with another poll in copeland taking place the same day, is being seen as a key electoral test for labour leaderjeremy corbyn, whose party is defending both seats. our political correspondent,

tom bateman, is in stoke—on—trent for us. unusual the pressure is on the incumbent when the opposition is in government. absolutely, normally, we would be talking about the party of government that might be under pressure to defend one of its own constituencies in a by—election. here, things are the other way round, you have a traditional labour seat. this part of the world has returned a labour mp since the seat was created back in the 1950s. yet jeremy corbyn's labour party finds itself here under pressure, but at —— potentially on the back foot trying to defend a 5,000 majority with a party like ukip you came second in the general election one of whose seniorfigures second in the general election one of whose senior figures said to me this morning they think because of their canvassing returns they are in their canvassing returns they are in the lead here. this is a real test for labour underjeremy corbyn. and not least because of the change this

area has seen over the decades. it once thriving ceramics industry was here in the potteries of stoke—on—trent and surrounding area and voters talk about that sense of decline have felt. perhaps it is one of the reasons for the rise in the ukip vote. people talk about cheaper foreign imports coming and undermining the industry here and perhaps the reason why an overwhelming majority here, nearly 70%, voted for brexit. what will we see to the labour vote, will be ukip attack continue? and the conservatives in third place in the general election perhaps thinking they could sail through the middle of those two. thank you very much. and the parliamentary by—election in stoke—on—trent takes place on the 23rd of february. there's a full list of the candidates on the screen, and it's also available on the bbc news website. so that is stoke—on—trent central. six mountaineers have been killed in separate incidents in italy

and france after slabs of ice from frozen waterfalls detached from mountainsides. the four climbers killed in italy were scaling a waterfall in the val d'aosta region, near the border with switzerland, when part of the ice wall gave way. rescuers say a sudden rise in temperatures melted the ice enough for it to detach. a 15—year—old girl has pleaded not guilty to the murder of seven—year—old katie rough in york. katie rough was found with severe injuries in a playing field last month, and died later in hospital. the teenage defendant appeared at leeds crown court this morning via videolink, charged with murder, and possessing an offensive weapon. a suspected suicide bomber has attacked a popular religious shrine in sindh in pakistan. so—called islamic state has claimed

responsibility. so—called islamic state has claimed responsibility. local media outlets are reporting that at least 25 people have been killed. let's get the latest on this from our pakistan correspondent, secunder kermani. what more do we know at this stage? well, we know that this blast occurred in one pakistan's most popular and famous religious shrines, in the southern province of sindh, around the city where it took place, around 100 miles from the provincial capital, karachi. the latest figures in terms of casualties is up to possibly 35 people killed, many more injured. that figure may rise. thursday night, religious shrines in pakistan for often particularly busy as their special devotional sessions. as you say, the so—called islamic group

have claimed responsibility for this, it is not the first time they have attacked a shrine in pakistan. a sufi shrine. that is a liberal and mystical interpretation of religion and it is very popular thatjihadis think is heretical. it is not the first time the shrines have been attacked and in november, they killed over 50 people in a western province. thank you very much, from islamabad, with the latest on that suicide bomb attack. the prime minister of new zealand is in christchurch to monitor the efforts to fight a huge wildfire which has led to the evacuation of hundreds of homes. two separate fires, which began in hills to the south of the city on monday, have combined, to cover a total of nearly 5,000 acres. the city's mayor has warned that the fire could pose a threat for several weeks. sangita myska has the latest. these are the fatal fires that have burned a ferocious path

through the hills above christchurch. it's taken more than two days to bring them under control. an aerial battle is winning the war against the flames, involving 1a helicopters and three planes. the cost — the life of a pilot. a highly decorated former serviceman turned firefighter who crashed while on duty. he was trying to help save the lives in these homes. a dozen were reduced to charred remains, miraculously residents were left unharmed. visiting the displaced, new zealand's prime minister. there's a whole lot of people here who have been traumatised by the events, some who have lost their homes, many who have been evacuated, and this is a community that knows how to stick together when things are difficult. a thick pall of smoke sits over the city of christchurch.

the fire is contained, but not under control. wild fires here are rare, but that's of little comfort now. my neighbours up the hill are absolutely terrified because they're surrounded by forests and gorse and long dry grass, so they will be very nervous. we've been up pretty much all night since we got evacuated and keeping an eye on it. the blackened hillsides are now yielding clues about the fire's origin. it's believed it started in two separate locations, combining to burn over 11,500 acres. sangita myska, bbc news. headlines coming up, now let's cheer ourselves up with a weather forecast from nick miller. i will not talk about the rain yet but some blue sky we have been

seeing in southern england, between the showers. and in scotland. bigger cloud in northern ireland, north wales, north west england, the midlands, east anglia and south east india, this evening and overnight. you will find outbreaks of rain but either side of that, it is dry with fog patches developing into scotland with a touch of frost here is friday begins. especially in the southern scotland, the fog may slow you down, patchy rain and drizzle in the far west of scotland and brighter breaks in wales and the south—west, especially eastern scotland and north east england. a lot of dry weather on friday, towards west wales and the far south—west of england and northern ireland seeing outbreaks of rain. a degree also down compared to today, not feeling too different. over the weekend, not a great deal going on, but occasional rain and showers for northern ireland, northern ireland and scotland. more about the weekend in halfan and scotland. more about the weekend in half an hour. this is bbc news. the headlines.

the deal which promised to resolve the long—running rail strike on southern rail has collapsed — raising the prospect of further industrial action. train drivers voted against the recommendation of their own leaders, which was to accept the deal with the train company. the us secretary of state rex tillerson and his russian counterpart sergey lavrov have expressed their willingness to work together at the g20 summit in germany. the us will consider working with russia, if we can find areas that can benefit the american people. more arrests in malaysia in connection with the airport poisoning of the half brother of the north korean leader. researchers claim vitamin d supplements could spare more than three million people from colds orflu in the uk each year. now time for the sport.

hugh has been waiting for a long time. honestly only a couple of minutes. mark clattenburg is to quit hisjob as a minutes. mark clattenburg is to quit his job as a premier league referee to ta ke his job as a premier league referee to take up a position in saudi arabia, he is considered one of the best referees in the game. last season he took charge of the finals of euro 2016, the champions league and the fa cup. our sports correspondent has been following the story. he is going to go to saudi arabia and take up a role there as head of referees, working with existing referees, working with existing referees, but i understand it will involve refereeing local league games. my understanding is he signed a one year rolling contract. he gave a one year rolling contract. he gave a press co nfe re nce a one year rolling contract. he gave a press conference in saudi arabia earlier today. he spoke about the professionalisation of refereeing and he said one thing he is keen to do, is work with the team there and the president to create a structure in saudi arabia that will make refereeing successful for many years to come. he is stepping into the

shoes of the former premier league referee howard webb who has gone to the mls. but he will start i think initially on a part—time basis while he fulfils other commitments and will be full—time by the next season. after his side were outclassed by bayern munich there are more question marks about the about the future of arsene wenger. bbc sport understands the club will wait until the end of the season before making what we think will be a mutual decision on his future. . before making what we think will be a mutual decision on his future. ij have a mutual decision on his future. i have been receiving messages from fa ns have been receiving messages from fans and the vast majority think it is time to move on. he has given arsenal wonderful service, they need a fresh start. we have a board that doesn't seem to lead the club in and are saying the decision is down to him. we are in limbo and i would like to see a statement from arsenal

sooner rather this than later clarifying the position. the unhappiness is no good for anybody at arsenal. there is premier league teams involved in the return of the europa league tonight. manchester united take on saint—etienne in the first leg of their last 32 tie at old trafford. at six it is spurs who have travelled to face against —— ghent. spurs remain in the title race at home. their captain say they won't push the europa league down their list of priorities. won't push the europa league down their list of prioritiesi won't push the europa league down their list of priorities. i am a come pet every time i am involved in the competition i want to be involved. it is not from today, it is from a long time ago when i started to play football when i was a kid. when i am on the pitch, it's to compete and to win the game, so, there is no difference between all there is no difference between all the competition. a second ballot is

being held on whether to admit female members to muirfield golf club, the change was previously voted down. muirfield was subsequently told by the rna it would no longer be considered as a host venue for the open championship. a result on the second vote is expected by the middle of march. after two wins at the welsh open snooker it is back to snooc for 15 yeerked jackson page. he was beated 4—0 byjudd trump. the teenager had special permission from his school to play at the tournament. world number one mark selby struggling against another teenagerfrom china. all the sport for now. thank you hugh. more now on our main story, the decision by train drivers for southern rail who are members of the union aslef to reject a deal to end the long running series

of strikes on the railway. it means there is still no end in sight to the disruption on one of the country's busiest commuter networks. earlier i spoke to sim harris, editor of the railway magazine, railnews, and i asked him whether he was surprised by the result of the ballot? i think the smart money in the industry was in favour of a deal, as you say it looked like a good deal. iam you say it looked like a good deal. i am told unofficially there was more money involved as well. i don't have confirmation of thatle but it is very unusual four a union, a major union to make a strong recommendation and be opposed by the member... . the pecktive is up the service of their member, we are in unchartered waters. what is it about the deal and the issue, that drivers ta ke the deal and the issue, that drivers take exception to, given that other parts of the network it works. we will be guessing, because we would have to ask a driver or two or 20 to really know the answer to that. it could be some of them didn't like the sces. which had broken out between aslef and the rmt and felt

their brothers and sister in the rmt deserved support. that is one possibility. secondly many of them really did not like the additional responsibility. you see one of the union arguments against more d00 is when it first came in 1982. driver only operation. absolutely. they we re only operation. absolutely. they were in charge of shorter trains and less busy trains. it has been transformed since then, we have one—and—a—half times as many passengers as the ‘90s an it continues to go up. last year it went up by another 5%. so train, anybody who doings to victoria or london bridge they are incred blbl crowded in the rush hour. will the safety issue was raised and got a clea n safety issue was raised and got a clean bill of health it has from the industry safety authorities and i am not saying they are wrong. the question was what do i think the drivers might be worried about and my perception is that is what i

think they are worried about. so woe have week, possibly months more of disruption on what is the busiest line. we don't know. the aslef executive probably surprised as well, the company who owned the line say they will have another meeting with aslef to which the only response will by bet you are. we don't know what will happen next. we don't know what will happen next. we don't know what aslef will choose to do. they have a mandate from their members to keep this dispute going. meantime, coming up behind we have the rmt, they are going to strike on wednesday, 22nd february, we don't yet know exactly what effect that strike will have. there is one important point, there is a list of exceptional circumstances when a driver can take a train alone, without anybody else onboard in the way of staff. now, apparently this list includes industrial action, so it could be that southern next

wednesday will be completely d00 in the true sense, possibly. we don't know. we don't know what the rmt might do as well, will they try to involve other grades? that is to say all the people who work on stations. might need another ballot because i don't think they were balloted on this. uncharted waters but they will be choppy. french prosecutors say they will continue their investigations into the centre—right presidential candidate francois fillon, who's been accused of cheating the parliamentary payments system. he's denied paying his wife and children inflated parliamentary salaries for minimal, or fictitious, work. a little earlier, our paris correspondent hugh schofield gave us the latest and explained what this decision means to fillon. he's not got what he wanted. he wanted the prosecutor at this point to say there's not enough here to proceed. that's not what's happened. the prosecutor, this kind of interim statement, has said, we are going to continue with our investigations because there is enough evidence to allow us to do that.

so he hasn't got what he wanted. but at the same time it's not the worst news either. the prosecutor could have said, well, there's enough already before us to recommend that he be placed under formal investigation, at which point mr fillon would have had to step down. what we've got is more of the same. we have more of this drip, drip agony for francois fillon, which means he can't properly campaign, and from the constituencies are coming reports from his agents out in the field, saying it's absolutely terrible for us out here, no—one wants to hear about your proposals, they just want to hear about whether you're an honest man or not. what it means is that francois fillon, the centre—right candidate, has slumped in polls. he's now in third place in the polls, which is all significant, because remember in the french system it is number one and two in the first round who go through to the play off, the second round, and right now, those two people will be marine le pen for the front national, and this newcomer, the young emmanuel macron, the centrist who is number two. francois fillon needs to fight back hard, if he's going to get that second place. the leader of the uk's biggest union

has called on the government to intervene in a possible takeover of car manufacturer vauxhall, in order to safeguard british jobs. unite's len mccluskey has been meeting the business secretary, greg clark, and president of general motors, following news that peugeot's owner — the psa group — is in talks to acquire gm's european operation. the deal would include vauxhall, which has plants at ellesmere port and luton, employing 11,500 staff. the unite leader said he wasn't prepared to accept a single job loss in britain. we've made the call that we want the government involved in the issue of general motors because of course the french government owns a considerable stake in peugeot and one thing is for clear, they'll be arguing and fighting for french jobs. basically i'm going to be saying to the government today that that's what we need to do. we need to work together. the government needs to make it

clear that we're not prepared in the event that peugeot buy vauxhall and vauxhall opel, we're not prepared to accept a singlejob loss here in britain. an increasing number of patients are having to wait more than 12 hours at a&e and units in wales compared to a year ago. in january over 4,000 patients waited in welsh accident and emergency departments compared to 3,290 in the same month the year before. the monthly figures look at times patients wait from arrival to their discharge, admission or transfer. our correspondent, tomas morgan, told me how the figures have been greeted by the authorities in wales. the welsh government have responded today by saying the nhs in wales have again witnessed an increasingly difficult time, as they do every year over the winter period and in january. those figures you mentioned, the highlight and the standout figure being the number of patients that have waited for more than 12 hours in accident and emergency

departments across wales has increased compared to this time last year, by more than 800. up to 4000 people having to wait 12 hours or more. those waiting up to 12 hours has also increased by a percentage point. but when it comes to the headline target of the four hours, the welsh government wanted 95% of people to be seen within that time. that has been holding steady compared to this time last year. however the authorities here have always said they don't expect anyone to be waiting for 12 hours in any accident and emergency department across wales so for those who have waited for longer than that it is little consolation really. the government have also said they are somewhat unsurprised, and not happy with the departments for missing those targets, again, but they have said they will continue to work alongside departments to continue to improve their systems. the nuffield trust has done some research into accident and emergency and health care issues across the uk and have always said wales is always affected quite badly when it comes to winter pressures simply due to the finances here and also when it comes to workforce numbers. however as we have heard over recent

weeks there has been a big increase in those waiting for hours or more in england. they seem to be catching up with the welsh numbers now. a slight deterioration when it comes to 12 hours, but a big difference to those when it comes to those waiting 12 hours or more. researchers say taking vitamin d supplements could prevent more than three million people in the uk from getting colds or flu each year. sunshine is needed to produce the vitamin naturally in the skin, and levels plummet during the winter. the team — from queen mary, university of london — says the vitamin should be added to foods like bread. here's our health correspondent, dominic hughes. this is what vitamin d deficiency can look like. softened bones bowing under the weight of the body. in children, it can cause rickets.

but now researchers say vitamin d may have other benefits apart from strengthening bones. effectively, vitamin d boosts the production of natural antibiotic substances called antimicrobial peptides, which are toxic to bacteria and viruses. we have shown the effects of vitamin d to prevent respiratory infections are on a par with those of the flu vaccine and that is a significant effect. a 10% reduction in the risk of respiratory illnesses like coughs, colds and flu. among those with the very lowest levels of vitamin d, the benefit is even greater — a 50% reduction. and across the whole uk population, that would equate to more than three million people avoiding a cold orflu each year. sunlight on the skin is the best source of vitamin d, but the increased use of sunscreen, and our weather, means exposure in the uk is limited. it is possible to get vitamin d through some foods. for example, cereals —

particularly those marketed at children — have vitamin d added as a supplement. you can also get it from oily fish orfrom eggs, although you would have to eat ten every day to ensure you got the right amount. what researchers are arguing is that vitamin d should be added as a supplement to products like milk so that we all get ourfair share. but some scientists believe that fortifying food with vitamin d will not be enough. the recommendation is more around that we should all take a supplement in the winter months, in autumn, and in those groups that are at risk, so people with darker skin or who aren't outside as much, they should take them all year round. while the specific benefits of vitamin d are still being debated, sunshine and supplements seem to be the best sources. 100 years ago, the women's royal naval service was founded, to free up more men for active service at sea during the first world war. it was the start of a hugely significant change in the role of women in the armed forces.

wrens, as they became known, served as cooks, stewards, dispatch riders and telegraphists — and went on to play key roles in the navy, in the second world war and beyond. our correspondent duncan kennedy is in portsmouth where events are being held throughout the year. at 90 years old, win price still has an affection for the sea. whether it's her admiration for these world war ii motorboats, or the time shejoined as a 17—year—old in 1944, the wrens have always held a strong bond over her maritime memories. you had to go in what they were short of. they had cooks and stewards they wanted. i couldn't cook, so i opted for a steward. proud then, and honoured now to be celebrating 100 years of the wrens. in a way, they started equality. that was the beginning of it. you were the pioneers?

i guess. no, the ones before me were pioneers! newsreel: the new wren is welcomed by the petty officer... the women's royal naval service was formed in 1917, but it was in the second world war they came of age. newsreel: she's a skipper and it's by her orders... this may have been the extent of their seaborne presence, but the wrens' 74,000 volunteers were vital to take the strain of men in the navy's non—fighting roles. without the wrens, we wouldn't have the service we've got today. they very much did lay the foundations for the women who are serving today. it's a really nice opportunity to look back and celebrate the achievements of the past 100 years, and even the pioneers before them. the new exhibition charts this vital service across the last century. when the women integrated with the men in 1993,

out went the title wrens, but they continued to embody the standards and professionalism of the royal navy. the pioneers really set the bar high, i think. they had to prove themselves, which they did really well. after that it was for the other women to embrace that change, and they went forward, and its continued to go forward. women now make up 10% of the royal navy. 100 years after they became the first of the three services to officially recruit women, the new exhibition is a moment for early wrens like win to reflect, commemorate and cherish their connections with britain's maritime heritage. duncan kennedy, bbc news, portsmouth harbour. a line coming out from the g20 summit, details dropping all time,

because lots of meetings going on. we are hearing that the british foreign office says following the talks with the new us secretary of state that the british foreign office has absolutely no doubt that appears to be a quote, no doubt that the us remains as committed to working closely with its allies, to tackle tough global problems. that is just tackle tough global problems. that isjust one of tackle tough global problems. that is just one of the comment nabs is emerging following the talks. that summit is continuing in bonn. 5.00 news co nfe re nce summit is continuing in bonn. 5.00 news conference the white house where donald trump is announcing his choice for labour secretary. now in a moment we will look at the financial markets but the headlines. the deal which promised to resolve the long—running rail strike on southern rail has collapsed, raising the prospect of further industrial action. the new us secretary of state, rex tillerson, has met his counterparts from britain

and russia at his first g20 summit — and vows to put american people first. more arrests in malaysia in connection with the airport poisoning of the north korean leader's brother. a total of three people are now being questioned. hello. now a look at how the markets in europe have ended the trading session. the ftse one 00 in negative territory still. the ftse one 00 in negative territory still. bp, shell, astrazeneca and imperial brands are all trading without the benefit of the dividend and, with these heavyweights in the red, it's been tough for the market to push forward. the competition and markets authority are looking into heineken's bid to buy the pub operator punch taverns. the cma are concerned that the merger might reduce competition and choice for pub goers. punch own 3,350 pubs — if the deal goes through it'll make heineken the third largest pub group in the country. uber—has introduced a series of

changes for drivers who use the app, including earnings advice sessions for drivers and an option that allows them to cash up their fares when ever they want rather than the end of the week. ray toes iceland and marks and spencer have topped a satisfaction survey. iceland is the top supermarket for online shopping. waitrose is top for instore experience and asda is this last place behind tesco and sainsbury‘s. let's get detailed analysis of those stories with our next guest, colin mclean, the managing director of svm asset management. let us start off with this story about supermarkets. ice land topping the tables there for online supermarket, and asda not doing as well. it is a competitive market at the moment, with the likes of aldi and liddle, in the mix as well. what do you think iceland is doing right

and asda is doing wrong? iceland has got its online experience to a much better standard than others of. it isa simple better standard than others of. it is a simple offering, delivery seems to be good. it is customers welcome that, i think though, for aldi and liddle, the service, people expect it not to be up to the standard of the full price supermarkets, but i think it is maybe at a level where their like—for—like trading is not growing as they would like it. uber—are trying to make life easier for driver, they are trying to through a few incentives there, they have had problems with drivers across the world. in india there is across the world. in india there is a strike on. do you think this is sway of trying to attract more staff? yes, i think that i do need to work at this, they have a lot of challenges just now, the app follows something they have done in trans, something they have done in trans, soi something they have done in trans, so i think they are hopeful that

will improve the driver experience, at the same time they are saying these legal issues and they are having to invest a lot in building up having to invest a lot in building up relationships with cities that might eventually take self—driving cars, so they have a lot of different challenges about keeping drivers happy, and also working towards the future, with the d riverless towards the future, with the driverless cars, so it is a tough time for uber—over all. driverless cars, so it is a tough time for uber-over all. a spanner in the works for heineken. is this cause for concern for them? yes, it is not a full inquiry yet, but this would almost treble the number of pubs that heineken operates. it a large global brewer so some of those with specialist beers and others may be more concerned about what exposure they get. the industry went to being fragmented and broken up in the ‘80s but it is getting concentrated again. there is fears

about competition now. thank you colin. the ftse one 00 still in negative territory. astrazeneca was one of the biggest fallers. astrazeneca was one of the biggest fallers. that's all from me, there is a round—up of all the other top business stories on our website — bbc.co.uk/business. it started as a hobby for rowan mccabe — knocking on people's doors and offering to write them a personal poem. now a year on, he's been given an arts council grant to continue his work as britain's only door to door poet. david sillito met him on his rounds in gateshead and stockton. hiya there. you all right, mate? my name's rowan. i'm a door—to—door poet, so i knock on strangers and write poems for them. i wouldn't do it round here.

i'm a door—to—door poet and my hair could be much neater, but this could be worse, i could be here to check your meter! rhone mccabe, the door—to—door poet. ijoined him on his rounds, delivering poems in stockton. i'm good, thanks. i brought your poem. what's important to us? well, probably the state of the country at the moment. immigration. i voted out. it's a little window into inner lives. when he was growing up. that's my mum and her friend in dusseldorf. we had a lot of hostility, mum did, people spitting at her in the street. we've had swastikas painted on the door. this is the poem that has been written for him, speak. it's all about his habit of speaking out, in defence of others.

it starts in dark pub corners. in stomachs, full of spite. it ends in concentration camps. the rule of the far right. shivers down my spine. i think it's probably one of the highlights of my life. i'm very moved by it. he's a very clever bloke. like i was saying when we were there, it's moments like that, that you just think, bestjob in the world. door—to—door poet? what could be better than that, you know? rowan mccabe, the door—to—door poet. david sillito, bbc news stockton. 100 still in negative territory. astrazeneca was one of the biggest fa lle rs. have you written me a poem? no, but

if he rang on my door bell i would give him a poem. it should be quite short. he is already avoiding you, it is fine. he is not alone! catch up it is fine. he is not alone! catch up with the weather shall we. let us make it quick. here is nick. there have been a few things already written about you simon. we don't need a list. here is what is happening round the uk, no a huge amount of sunshine so we grabbed the few brighter moments here and there, but we have talked about rain earlier in the forecast and here it is, showing up on cloud and rainfall picture, from northern ireland, through north wales, north—west england and into the midlands and stretching into east anglia, clipping a few spots. the sours in northern scotland will tend to fade. some of us getting into frost as skies clear. by the end of the night although most of us will be frost—free, that is a potential in scotland, some fog patches too, and especially into southern scotland. they may slow you down in the

morning. friday morning, eight a clock, still this old weather system giving a bit of damp weather into western scotland. to the east of that then, chilly with a few fog patches, that zone of thicker cloud through the midlands and into south—east england, to the west of that, so, south wales into south—west england, there could be a few fog patches here, temperatures round seven or eight, a bit cooler many this the south—west in the countryside. on through the rest of friday, a lot of dry weather to come on friday. still may be a bit of patchy rain into the far north—west of england and coming in, to west wales and the far south—west, later in the afternoon. few brighter brea ks in the afternoon. few brighter breaks ahead of that in wales and south—west england but more especially sunshine, eastern scotla nd especially sunshine, eastern scotland and north east england. temperatures a degree or so down, compared with today, but then the wind where it is at its strongest may be lighter. and here is the picture for the start of the weekend, this weak weather front moving in, so it will produce

outbreaks of rain for northern ireland, more especially into western scotland and into cumbria as well, we could see that. it is trying to push south—east wards, not a huge amount of urgency so staying dry, a lot of cloud round. some occasional southern, part two of the weekend on sunday sees a wet windy weather system moving into north—west scotland. the breeze picks up elsewhere but elsewhere a mild day, so it will be staying mild throughout this weekend. limited southern, just a bit here and there, limited rain, but the bulk of that will be falling into western scotland, occasionally northern ireland, and northern england but not all the time. and there is is a weather forecast for where you are online. today, at 5.00pm. more disruption in store for southern rail passengers as drivers reject a deal to settle their long—running dispute. i pay a lot of money to get

to brighton every day and the service i get is ridiculous, i have to say. we'll have the latest and we'll be live at brighton railway station with more reaction from commuters. the other main stories on bbc news at five. president trump's most senior diplomat makes his debut on the international stage. rex tillerson met his counterparts from britain and russia at his first g20 summit.