this is bbc news the headlines at six. the transport secretary accuses union leaders of "punishing millions of innocent people" by pressing ahead with rail strikes this week. itjust seems that the union is determined to go out on strike, the rmt, come what may, and i think it's a very sad situation and i call on them to reconsider. yeah,— sorry yeah, — sorry for them, yeah,— sorry for them, they won a pay rise _ yeah,— sorry for them, they won a pay rise like — yeah,— sorry for them, they won a pay rise like the rest of us but what — pay rise like the rest of us but what can _ pay rise like the rest of us but what can you do.— pay rise like the rest of us but what can you do. pay rise like the rest of us but what can ou do. , ., ., , what can you do. they have not been listin: to what can you do. they have not been listing to for — what can you do. they have not been listing to for decades _ what can you do. they have not been listing to for decades and _ what can you do. they have not been listing to for decades and it - what can you do. they have not been listing to for decades and it is - listing to for decades and it is about— listing to for decades and it is about time _ listing to for decades and it is about time the _ listing to for decades and it is about time the government . listing to for decades and it is - about time the government listened. awful_ about time the government listened. awfui for— about time the government listened. awful for people _ about time the government listened. awful for people who _ about time the government listened. awful for people who have _ about time the government listened. awful for people who have to - about time the government listened. awful for people who have to get - awful for people who have to get jobs to work and two places. swimming's world governing body, fina,

has voted to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races if they have gone through any part of the process of male puberty. as the conflict in ukraine continues — the new head of the british army tells his troops they should be prepared to "fight in europe once again". it's two hours until voting closes in the final round of parliamentary elections in france, with president emmanuel macron facing an alliance of left—wing parties. good afternoon. the transport secretary says it's not for the government to intervene to try to prevent three days of strikes on the railways this week. grant shapps dismissed calls from the rmt union to get involved in the dispute as a stunt, saying it's for the employers and unions to reach an agreement. mr shapps says the strikes would be an "act of self—harm".

the labour leader, sir keir starmer, says the government wants the strikes to go ahead to "sow division" in society. here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. set to bring the rail network to a grinding halt from tuesday, they are the biggest strikes in decades. instead of 20,000 trains on a normal day, just one in five services may run. awful for people if they need to get to jobs and to work and to places. like, i've come to visit my son here and if i needed to come back again then, no trains. i'm going to test cricket next week and to my grandparents and my dad, and i don't think i'll be able to go there any more, just because it's on the sunday, but because saturday's affected and monday's affected. it takes me about - one—and—a—half hours, but it takes me four hours due to this strike, - so it's disgusting for me. government says children heading to take exams or patients to medical appointments will face disruption. but, under pressure to take part in talks with the unions, it says it won't. train operating companies have to settle this. i don't think there's any need for the strikes at all

and i appeal directly to people working for the railways — you are being led down a cul—de—sac by the union leadership telling you there's no pay rise when there is, trying to create some sort of class war when there's none to be had. we want people to be paid more, we want sensible reforms and modernisation of our railways so we can run it for the passengers. the government says it spent billions propping up the railways in the pandemic. it now wants to see them modernised. the union, which was part of the cost—of—living march through london yesterday, says that means its members are facing a crisis. with inflation set to hit ii%, wages are falling behind — living standards, too — and the union says "modernisation" means fewerjobs and longer working hours. we're faced with thousands ofjob cuts, despite what grant shapps says. there's been no guarantee that these redundancies won't be compulsory, we have seen 4,000 or 5,000 jobs already go from the railway. they've told our maintenance

staff on network rail that 3,000 jobs will go. they're going to cut back on the safety regime. they've told us that every single booking office in britain will close. labour, meanwhile, is trying to maintain a tricky balancing act. sir keir starmer doesn't want the strike to go ahead, but does he support the unions? he says the government wants a conflict. conservatives see political benefits. the strike should not go ahead — but here's the truth. borisjohnson and grant shapps want the strikes to go ahead. they want the country to grind to a halt so they can feed off the division. instead of spending their time around the negotiating table, they�* re designing attackers. instead of grown—up conversations to take the heat out of the situation, they're pouring petrol on the fire. and labour says the government hasn't engaged in talks since march. if no agreement is reached this week, it's possible the strikes

won't be the last. damian grammaticas, bbc news. scotrail say 90% of trains will need to be cancelled during the three days of action by the rmt union. the dispute does not involve scotrail staff, but it relies on network rail workers to operate signal boxes and maintain track. 0ur scotland reporter, alexandra mackenzie, has the latest from glasgow queen street station. there's going to be a lot of disruption here across scotland. there are some passengers here today, but it is looking quite quiet already, and, yes, ithink you just got it right there — lots of frustration here, and i am joined by someone from scotrail. phil campbell, you're head of customer operations. you're not out on strike, but it is going to affect scotrail. just how much, how many of your services will you be cutting? so the uk—wide strike will have a significant impact on scotrail and on the days of the strike, which is the 21st, 23rd and 25th,

we'll only be able to operate a very limited service in the central belt, and that will be across five routes. so our advice to customers is to plan ahead, only travel if it's really necessary, and nothing further out operating than the central belt. so, when you talk about the central belt, you're talking about that area around edinburgh and glasgow, so what areas will be covered and how many services will still be running for customers going between the two cities? so there'll be five routes, so we'll connect edinburgh and glasgow. some of those services will run via shotts, falkirk high. we'll also see a service from edinburgh to bathgate, and we'll see larkhall and lanark serviced. so that's around 180 services, so around 10% of what we've been operating, so quite a significant drop. and, as i've said, we need customers to plan ahead, understand it's a very limited timetable. it also finishes earlier in the day as well, and to make sure that they have not got themself in

a position where they can't travel. and what about commuters around the rest of the country? dundee, inverness, aberdeen? just no trains for anyone north or south of the central belt area? yeah, it's very unfortunate. this uk—wide strike is affecting all train operating companies up and down the country. those roles who will be on strike from network rail are safety critical, so roles like signal people, so we just can't get that service to operate without people being there, and that's why we're seeing such a reduction in the services from network rail. and it is over three days with a day in between, so what are the chances of getting services up and running on the days when there isn't a strike? yeah, so the days in between the strike action, we'll start to see the timetable return. however, there'll be services that'll start later in the day than they traditionally would, and that's just to allow the train service to get back into service, so, again, we ask people to go onto the website, plan their journey, speak to our teams in the stations, and understand what

services are running where and when, but the days between strikes will see a slower start—up in the day, roundabout 7am as opposed to earlier in the morning. and your advice to customers, briefly? plan ahead. pop on and look at the website. it'll give you all the details that you need. if you need to speak to staff in the stations, please do so. 0n the days of the strike, we will have staff available in stations. they will still be here — scotrail are not on strike and we'll do all we can to help people and advise. that's great. appreciate your time. thank you very much. and apart from scotrail, cross—border services will also be affected, and the caledonian sleeper, as well. it will run tonight but that will be the last one this week, and customers are being advised to check the website, and caledonian sleeper customers will get a refund if they were planning to travel later this week. alexandra mackenzie reporting from glasgow. just a handful of train routes will run

in wales during the strikes. although transport for wales are not involved in the dispute, the vast majority of lines rely on network rail signallers. these passengers in wrexham shared their thoughts on the strikes it's a pain. it is a pain, to be honest. so...nothing, really, i can say. yeah, ifeel sorry for them — they want a pay rise just like the rest of us, but what can you do? we were going to go and visit grace's family. yeah, so we've kind of had to cancel that one, - cos we can't get down. i get the bus to work every day to the court, so... and it goes under the tunnel — i guessing it will be packed with everyone off the trains and on the buses, but you'vejust got to muck on, haven't you? and the biggest teaching union, the neu, has said it will ballot its members on strike action in england unless the government offers a pay rise of more than 3%. the union, which has 450,000 members, will write to the education secretary, nadhim zahawi, this week. any strike would take place in the autumn. joining me is professor of industrial relations at the university of wolverhampton, roger seifert.

thank you forjoining us today. what do you make of the transport secretary saying that it is not for him or the government to intervene in a transport strike? i him or the government to intervene in a transport strike?— in a transport strike? i think he is bein: a in a transport strike? i think he is being a bit _ in a transport strike? i think he is being a bit cute _ in a transport strike? i think he is being a bit cute there _ in a transport strike? i think he is being a bit cute there because - in a transport strike? i think he is being a bit cute there because he| being a bit cute there because he has already intervened previously, last week— has already intervened previously, last week by attacking the union and its members by seeing the strike was a disgrace _ its members by seeing the strike was a disgrace so he has intervened but the government in the other sense, to do— the government in the other sense, to do with _ the government in the other sense, to do with the long—term funding of the railway— to do with the long—term funding of the railway system in general, rather— the railway system in general, rather than investing, they are just investing _ rather than investing, they are just investing in — rather than investing, they are just investing in the system. on the other— investing in the system. on the other hand he is correct, they are not party— other hand he is correct, they are not party to— other hand he is correct, they are not party to the dispute and not round _ not party to the dispute and not round the — not party to the dispute and not round the table and they should not be round _ round the table and they should not be round the table between any dispute — be round the table between any dispute between employer and workfare —— workforce. is dispute between employer and workfare —— workforce. is it dispute between employer and workfare -- workforce. is it likely in these situations _ workfare -- workforce. is it likely in these situations that _ workfare -- workforce. is it likely in these situations that can - workfare -- workforce. is it likely in these situations that can be . workfare -- workforce. is it likely in these situations that can be a i in these situations that can be a compromise found before strikes go ahead? edi compromise found before strikes go ahead? .., , ., , .,

ahead? of course, that is the nature of negotiations. _ ahead? of course, that is the nature of negotiations. a _ ahead? of course, that is the nature of negotiations. a strike _ ahead? of course, that is the nature of negotiations. a strike threat - ahead? of course, that is the nature of negotiations. a strike threat is . of negotiations. a strike threat is there to concentrate the minds more securely, to come to the table and negotiate so because they can be settled. there can still be a settlement. the key issue is whether the employers are —— prepared to trade—offjobs and pay with the unions in good faith. the unions are there in good faith, they don't want a strike and don't want their members to lose a day's p so i assume the sticking point is coming from their employers rather than the union at the moment.— union at the moment. some commentators _ union at the moment. some commentators have - union at the moment. some commentators have said - union at the moment. some| commentators have said this union at the moment. some i commentators have said this is inevitable as a result of the impact the pandemic has had on rail travel and the decline in passenger numbers, do you see anyway forward? how do you square those two? it is how do you square those two? it is not inevitable, _ how do you square those two? it 3 not inevitable, no dispute is inevitable. the way forward is to

get back in negotiations, that employers, certainly the train operator companies who are all privately owned, many foreign owned, there is no question they can afford a better offer than they have made so they need to reach forward with their offer and i am sure the rmt at their offer and i am sure the rmt at the end of the day will compromise. the more tricky one is network rail because that stops the entire network as you suggested in scotland and wales as well as england and it is there the government is breathing down the next of their own allegedly independent organisation and do not set more than 3.5%. the gap is not enormous. i am sure employers are prepared to offer 3% so if the government backs off and the rhetoric comes down on the leadership keeps quiet and let the negotiators get on with it, it is possible to reach a settlement. that

would be encouraging news to people watching but what do you make of the situation with a potential teacher strike, us optimistic about the option of a resolution in that case as well? . , ., option of a resolution in that case as well? ., ,., .,, , . as well? -- are you optimistic. because _ as well? -- are you optimistic. because of— as well? -- are you optimistic. because of the _ as well? -- are you optimistic. because of the extremely - as well? -- are you optimistic. because of the extremely odd | as well? -- are you optimistic. - because of the extremely odd union law, unions ballot for strike actions before negotiations. so i am sure the teachers will have a resounding yes vote as virtually any group of workers would monitor go on strike but we have to see this as a negotiating weapon, not as a genuine threat to strike. they are single people are really upset and fed up what is going on and they are prepared to take the ultimate sanction if pushed but they do not want that. they want the government to come up with a rescue package across—the—board, notjust for across—the—board, not just for teachers across—the—board, notjust for teachers but for people working in mail service and other public services. i suspect this is an

opening salvo and will be followed by talking to local government but we have to wait and see but really the ball is in the court of the government and they have to decide how they will deal with demands from groups of large numbers of workers to help them fight off the inflationary pressures being felt across—the—board currently. inflationary pressures being felt across-the-board currently. thank ou for across-the-board currently. thank you for speaking — across-the-board currently. thank you for speaking to _ across-the-board currently. thank you for speaking to us, _ across-the-board currently. thank you for speaking to us, professor. across-the-board currently. thank. you for speaking to us, professor of industry relations at the university of wolverhampton. this evening transport for london's chief operating officer has issued a statement, saying he wants to apologise to �*tfl�*s customers for the impact these strikes will have on theirjourneys — and urge people to avoid travel on all tfl services on 21 june unless absolutely necessary. if they are travelling, they must complete journeys by 18:00, and expect disruption across the network. he also claimed that �*strike on the london underground has been timed by the rmt and unite unions to cause maximum disruption to our millions of customers

by coinciding with strike action on national rail services.�* the tfl urges �*the rmt and unite to call off this strike' — addid that �*it�*s not too late to work with us to find a resolution and avoid the huge disruption this action will cause'. swimming's world governing body fina has voted to stop the participation of transgender athletes in elite women's competitions. fina, swimming's world governing body, has voted to stop transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races if they have gone through any part of the process of male puberty. the new policy requires transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 in order to be able to compete in women's competitions. fina will also aim to establish an �*open' category at competitions for swimmers whose gender identity is different than their birth sex. in response to the news, former 0lympic swimmer sharron davies has tweeted: "i can't tell you how proud i am of my sport, fina and the fina president for doing the science, asking the athletes/coaches and standing up forfair sport forfemales.

swimming will always welcome everyone no matter how you identify but fairness is the cornerstone of sport. and anotherformer 0lympic swimmer, karen pickering, has tweeted this... the new head of the army has told british troops they should be prepared to "fight in europe once again" as the conflict in ukraine continues. in a letter addressed to all ranks and civil servants, general sir patrick sanders, said there was a �*burning imperative' for the army to be ready to fight "alongside allies" to defeat russia in battle. the british army has fewer soldiers than at any time over the past four centuries. joining me is our defence correspondentjonathan beale. does it come as a surprise, the contents of this letter? i do

does it come as a surprise, the contents of this letter? i do not think it is _ contents of this letter? i do not think it is a _ contents of this letter? i do not think it is a surprise _ contents of this letter? i do not think it is a surprise that - contents of this letter? i do not think it is a surprise that the . contents of this letter? i do not l think it is a surprise that the new head of the army has set out a challenge for his soldiers or that the letter has been leaked, given that it percent to virtually every soldier and civilian working in the ministry of defence. —— that it was sent. what is a surprise as the bluntness and also directness of the language he uses on russia which mentions four times in this short letter. that quote you just gave, the burning imperative to forging army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating russia in battle so essentially saying the raison d'etre of the army is to deter russia and be ready if necessary to fight russia in europe. it is not the kind of lines you get from a civil servant.— it is not the kind of lines you get from a civil servant. does this mean we are likely — from a civil servant. does this mean we are likely to _ from a civil servant. does this mean we are likely to see _ from a civil servant. does this mean we are likely to see british - from a civil servant. does this mean we are likely to see british troops i we are likely to see british troops deployed to ukraine? it we are likely to see british troops deployed to ukraine?— deployed to ukraine? it does not mean that- _ deployed to ukraine? it does not mean that. there _ deployed to ukraine? it does not mean that. there is _ deployed to ukraine? it does not mean that. there is no _ deployed to ukraine? it does not mean that. there is no western l mean that. there is no western country which are said it will do

that but what it does men and we have seen, ever since russia invaded crimea, british troops and other troops being sent to eastern european countries, the baltic states, to act as a deterrent to russia and we will see more of that, leaders will meet at the end of this month at a nato summit where they will make announcements. that raises the questions about the size of the british are which as you said is at its smallest since the napoleonic wars. 73,000. it is no secret that the former head of the army in his last army made a case for reversing some of those cuts. i think those calls will get louder. so some of those cuts. i think those calls will get louder.— some of those cuts. i think those calls will get louder. so you think this miaht calls will get louder. so you think this might be _ calls will get louder. so you think this might be something - calls will get louder. so you think this might be something that - calls will get louder. so you think - this might be something that perhaps drives or continues to add momentum to a reversal of those cuts? yes. drives or continues to add momentum to a reversal of those cuts?— to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set —

to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set out _ to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set out in _ to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set out in this _ to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set out in this letter- to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set out in this letter and - to a reversal of those cuts? yes, it is not set out in this letter and he l is not set out in this letter and he has not said that but his predecessor has and many people, defence experts and others are saying that given what russia has donein saying that given what russia has done in the ukraine, there is a case to reverse some of the cuts to the british army air corps trip numbers and tank numbers and also to increase defence sending. i think that pressure will continue. thank ou ve that pressure will continue. thank you very much- — flooding and landslides triggered by monsoon weather have left dozens dead and millions stranded in bangladesh and india. rescue teams have been trying to bring people to safety. forecasters are warning the situation is likely to get worse. the situation is likely 0ur correspondent in the bangladeshi capital dhaka — akbar hossain — told us why the floods have been so devastating for the country. bangladesh's north—eastern region, sylhet and sunamganj district, is underwater for the last three days.

the whole area has been cut off from the rest of the country by floodwaters. flights to and from in sylhet have been suspended. mainly bangladeshis living in the uk are from this region. local people say there is no way to get safe shelter in the area. people are suffering from food and drinking water shortages. which is not submerged. many people have taken refuge on the rooftops due to floodwaters. cattle and poultry are floating on the water. to rescue those trapped in the floods. that is why people cannot go to the shelter. bangladesh's vulnerability to flood is well—documented. people are usually used to the situation. but this time, the ferocity of flooding in sylhet and sunamganj has suprassed all benchmarks. the army has been deployed to rescue people

trapped in the floodwater. shelters have been opened. in all government offices and many private buildings. this is the second flood in a month. rainwaterfrom india's meghalaya state has come down to sunamganj very fast. that's why the floods have taken a terrible turn. akbar hossain, bbc news, dhaka. the indian government has said it is issuing 100 emergency visas to sikhs in afghanistan — a day after their last place of worship in kabul was attacked by islamic state militants. reports say around forty other applications are being reviewed. at least two people were killed in the attack on saturday — a sikh worshipper and a taliban fighter who confronted the militants. india's prime minister narendra modi condemned the attack as barbaric and cowardly. there's just one hour of voting left in france's parliamentary elections, with president macron's party facing the prospect on being unable

to command a majority — limiting his ability to enact his polices. he faces a broad left—wing alliance of parties backing jean—luc melenchon. the turnout — at four o'clock uk time — was 38%. hugh schofield reports. it's the fourth time in two months that the french have been called out to vote. two rounds of presidentials that returned emmanuel macron for a second term, and now this — a chance at the parliamentary elections for his opponents, especially those on the left, to get their revenge. man of the hour is jean—luc melenchon, the 70—year—old veteran of the far left who's forged a new alliance out of four separate parties, including the socialists and the greens. un, deux, trois. cheering his tactical flair and savage and sarcastic attacks on macron have, in a few short weeks, transformed the left�*s chances. now, it's an invigorated left and far left, rather

than marine le pen's far right, that's become the main opposition. applause for emmanuel macron, this week playing up his presidential role in ukraine, today's vote is crucial. his centre—right coalition should still beat melenchon's left into second place, but will he get an outright majority? with turn—out once again set to be extremely low, president macron risks losing a lot of his seats in the parliament to the point of having to make deals with other parties like the conservatives if he wants any of his reform programme to get through. macron's second presidential victory in april was a high point in his career, but is it about to take a downhill turn? hugh schofield in paris. today marks five years since the finsbury park terror attack — when a van was driven into worshippers outside a mosque in north london. one person, makram ali, was killed and nine others injured.

makram's daughter — ruzina akhtar — has been speaking exclusively to our home affairs correspondent sonja jessup about her memories of herfather and the impact of the attack on the community. this is how makram ali's family remember him, a loving father and grandfather with a sense of fun. he was just a very lively, happy, bubbly person. i don't know anyone like him who's always 24/7 happy. makram ali was murdered five years ago, targeted because of his muslim faith. the attacker drove a van into worshippers outside a mosque in finsbury park. nine others were injured. all i could hear was my sister crying and shouting, "dad, dad!," trying to wake him up. at first it wasn't clear what had happened. when police moved ruzina away from the scene, she thought her father was still alive, and waited for news.

i stayed out that whole night, whole morning, just waiting for someone to say, "he's at this hospital," but obviously, that wasn't the case. makram's killer was taken into police custody, restrained until officers arrived by the worshippers he'd just attacked. the imam was dubbed a hero but he believes that's because many expected muslims to react with anger. what myself and others did on that night was what any sensible and normal law—abiding citizen would have done. it's a religion that is not one of chaos, not one of — not one of vigilante justice, but one of respect of the law. but london's muslim community felt fear. many had worried islamophobia would increase following the westminster and london bridge terror attacks. after finsbury park, many mosques tightened their security. i was always wary. my mum was scared to go out of the house. she didn't want to go out

of the house because she's like, "0h, iweara headscarf, what if i get attacked?" the number of islamophobic hate crimes recorded by the met police have fallen over the last five years, but one group who monitor incidents say most are never reported. we have seen an increase of 45% of anti—muslim reports _ coming into us in london, | and these reports have got abusive behaviour as the number one category reported into us, _ but threats, assaults, threatening behaviours and discrimination - are the categories that follow. five years on, the memories and the fear remain, but there's also been love and support. people are quick to let you know that they stand with you and that these actions are not supported, and that's comforting and that's consoling. in the park where makram ali used to play with his grandchildren, there's a plaque that bears his name. it's been difficult but we move on and we just create better,

happier memories as a family, and just do what my dad would have loved. that was sonja jessup reporting. youtuber, colin furze has won retrospective planning permission to burrow a tunnel between his house and shed. he spent three years digging the passage by hand under his lincolnshire garden without permission. the subterranean structure lies 1.2m — 4ft — beneath the surface and could eventually also connect to a special underground bunker he has built. mr furze said he wanted to do it because he thought "it would be cool" and has documented his progress to his 12 million youtube followers after beginning the tunnelling project in november 2018. colin furzejoins me now, from his underground bunker... through the magic of technology.

this must be a relief but if you did not get permission, what would you have done? fill all back in again? we would have had a bit of an argument. i did not want to fill it in and you cannot get rid of it, if anyone has seen the video, it is steel and concrete, taking out would cause more carnage. fingers crossed, the council passed it. congratulations. you did very well. i think i have some footage of you digging the tunnel potentially. at the moment, we are seeing images of what it looks like in the tunnel. we have not got the footage of you digging. but why by hand? i know you said it was cool but what was going

through your mind? the said it was cool but what was going through your mind?— said it was cool but what was going through your mind? the ultimate plan is to net through your mind? the ultimate plan is to get from — through your mind? the ultimate plan is to get from the _ through your mind? the ultimate plan is to get from the house _ through your mind? the ultimate plan is to get from the house into - through your mind? the ultimate plan is to get from the house into the - is to get from the house into the underground bunker, right at the bottom of the back garden. i thought it would be cool to get down here without going outside, a james it would be cool to get down here without going outside, ajames bond type layer. underneath the patio and a shed, there is a garage and building so i couldn't take that from above without disturbing the buildings so i thought, do it by hand because how cool is that, who does not like the film the great escape so my tunnel is not torn, dick or harry, it is terry. did you literally use _ dick or harry, it is terry. did you literally use your _ dick or harry, it is terry. did you literally use your hands? - dick or harry, it is terry. did you literally use your hands? not - dick or harry, it is terry. did you i literally use your hands? not quite, we are robert _ literally use your hands? not quite, we are robert moreno _ literally use your hands? not quite, we are robert moreno than - literally use your hands? not quite, we are robert moreno than that. i we are robert moreno than that. sorry? —— we are more advanced than that. i sorry? -- we are more advanced than that. ., , ., ., , that. i thought you were literally like a mole. _

that. i thought you were literally like a mole, digging _ that. i thought you were literally like a mole, digging away. i that. i thought you were literally like a mole, digging away. not l like a mole, digging away. not literall , like a mole, digging away. not literally. we — like a mole, digging away. iirrt literally, we used a jackhammer and pickaxes because it is solid limestone. the sideways staff, i made hydraulic equipment which push the rock out of the way. sideways digging was easier than digging down, there was a hydraulic wager which would pull it up to the surface and get rid of it so what system. surface and get rid of it so what s stem. ~ , ., _ , system. we will see that system in action now — system. we will see that system in action now and _ system. we will see that system in action now and hopefully _ system. we will see that system in action now and hopefully show- system. we will see that system in i action now and hopefully show some of your digging footage now. when i made the bunker, we quarried a hole up in the back garden, built a metal box and covered it over. but i can't do that here, can i? because the workshop and the house exist on top of it. so we've got to dig down and actually tunnel underneath it. ok, this is the general setup. we have the bunker, we have the house and we have the shed. of course, this bit from here to here could be done above ground with a jcb but from here along

to here, no, no, no. we have to do all by hand, dig in it, going underground, boom! now this is going to be a very time—consuming and a very expensive project. sorry if it is a silly question, but your 12 million youtube followers, do they just your 12 million youtube followers, do theyjust enjoy watching you take the tunnel and do they still watch? i get three videos out of its digging the tunnel, there are nine videos now and people still want more. theyjust cannot get enough of it. each video i have tried to make something unique, i have a little railway in one of them to move stuff around, steel and breakage is coming into the house but they still want more. it is one of the best youtube projects i have ever done. dare more. it is one of the best youtube projects i have ever done.— projects i have ever done. are you auoin to projects i have ever done. are you going to give _ projects i have ever done. are you going to give people _ projects i have ever done. are you going to give people more, - projects i have ever done. are you going to give people more, what l projects i have ever done. are you | going to give people more, what is next? , ., ., , .,

next? there is one more episode of the hand digging — next? there is one more episode of the hand digging to _ next? there is one more episode of the hand digging to show— next? there is one more episode of the hand digging to show the i next? there is one more episode of the hand digging to show the last . the hand digging to show the last part and we have coming down the garden to the bunker, that will be done from above ground with a jcb but i would like the car to come up the drive so you can basically come up the drive so you can basically come up to a house, go down, get out the car, go through the tunnels and go through the house and everything all underground. it is through the house and everything all underground-— underground. it is raining, sorted. i look underground. it is raining, sorted. i look forward _ underground. it is raining, sorted. i look forward to _ underground. it is raining, sorted. i look forward to seeing _ underground. it is raining, sorted. i look forward to seeing the i i look forward to seeing the finished result. thank you so much for speaking to us and sharing the journey of your tunnel digging. that's all right, all on youtube if anybody wants to see it, subscribe. very good blog there. you can tell he a youtube. that was colin furze, celebrating his successful retrospective planning permission for his hand dug tunnel. from the

ridiculous to the sublime. you a forecast. hello. the really hot and humid air has now finally left our shores, hello. the really hot and humid air has now finally left our shores, but heatwave conditions do still persist across europe and for central europe they are going to carry on at least into the early part of this week. the amber colour marks the really hot and humid air. we are now in cooler, fresher air marked by the yellow colour. the boundary between the two takes the form of this weather front and this front will sit to the south of the uk through the remainder of sunday, keeping the skies rather more overcast here and producing some showers on into the evening. it's quite windy across scotland in the east, there could be the odd shower in the hours ahead, but they should clear overnight and the rain to the south should also clear. and as the windfalls lighter, temperatures across central and eastern scotland could actually rurally dip to just three orfour degrees. monday dawns bright, fine, with plenty of sunshine. the winds along the east coast should be lighter. we shouldn't really see any showers, i think, to the south,

that whole low sinking away down into the bay of biscay. more cloud later in the day for the north west of scotland as a weather front approaches, some rain for 0rkney and shetland, cooler for stornoway thanks to the cloud, but a warmer day for aberdeen, up to 20, and a little warmer across england and wales. now through the week ahead, our story's going to always be about areas of low pressure to the north and south, trying to squeeze this finger of high pressure extending across from the atlantic. but if you just watch the map really until we get to thursday or friday, nothing really firmly makes its way into the uk. so, actually the story for the week ahead is one of largely dry weather and our temperatures will tend to build day on day, particularly across the southern half of the uk, although we're not anticipating them reaching the highs of the weekjust gone. tuesday, more cloud i think generally across scotland and northern ireland, perhaps drizzly rain out of that as well. england and wales looking fine with some spells of sunshine. and as you see, the temperatures edging up 24, 25 here. a little cooler across scotland and northern ireland where we have more cloud. and through our week ahead, scotland and northern ireland always slightly more prone

to some thicker cloud, but a lot of dry weather. it's friday where we see the showers becoming more widespread. and it's a similar story really for england and wales, perhaps more in the way of sunshine across the southern half of the uk. the temperatures getting into the high 20s in some areas. friday, a greater chance of us seeing some showers spreading up from the south.

the government says it won't intervene to stop this week's planned rail strikes. the transport secretary grant shapps dismisses union calls to step in as a stunt and has this message for rail workers. you're being led down a cul—de—sac

by the union leadership, telling you that there's no pay rise, when there is. trying to create some sort of class war, when there's none to be had. boris johnson and grant shapps want the strikes to go ahead. they want the country to grind to a halt so they can feed off the division. also on the programme this evening... after the uk promises more heavy weapons to ukraine — now the new head of the british army says troops should be prepared to fight russia in europe. france holds parliamentary elections — could president macron's grip on power be weakened by the result? and swimming's world governing body votes to effectively ban transgender competitors like american lia thomas from taking part in women's races.

good evening. the transport secretary says it's not for the government to intervene to prevent three days of strikes on the railways this week. grant shapps has dismissed calls from the rmt union to get involved in the dispute as a stunt. he says it's for the employers and unions to reach an agreement. mr shapps says the strikes would be an act of self—harm, but the labour leader sir keir starmer says the government wants the strikes to go ahead to sow division in society. here's our political correspondent, nick eardley. get ready for the biggest rail strike in a generation. for three days, spread over the next week, the rail workers' union, the rmt, will down tools. massive disruption is expected across the country, and in some places like hull no services will be running in or out on strike days.

awful for people if they need to get to jobs and to work, and to places. don't like strikes. maybe asking for a bit too much of a pay rise? i support the rail strike because no one's listening to them. _ the transport minister's not been listening to them for decades. i ministers have faced pressure to get involved to broker a deal to prevent disruption. but speaking to the bbc this morning, the transport secretary laid the blame squarely at the door of the union. i don't think there is any need for these strikes at all, and i appeal directly to people working for the railways. you are being led down a cul—de—sac by the union leadership, telling you that there is no pay rise when there is, trying to create some sort of class war when there's none to be had. we want people to be paid more, we want sensible reforms and modernisation of our railways so that we can run it for the passengers. union leaders say after inflation, members are facing a real—terms pay cut. they're also worried about conditions and job cuts.

we don't want to be the cause of the disruption in people's lives. we want a settlement to this dispute but we're facing a crisis for our members. we are faced with thousands ofjob cuts, despite what grant shapps says. there has been no guarantee that these redundancies won't be compulsory. the blame game ahead of this week's strikes is already under way. the government is adamant that this action doesn't need to happen. but in truth this is comfortable political territory for the conservatives, who can say they are taking a hard line on industrial action and blame what they say are unreasonable union bosses. the rmt, though, says that this sort of action is absolutely essential to protect members at a time when the cost of living squeeze is hitting the pound in everyone's pocket. this was central london yesterday, thousands calling for better pay. there have been warnings of more disputes in the coming months. labour has avoided questions on the rights and wrongs of rail union demands. but it has said ministers

need to do more. the strikes should not go ahead. but here's the truth, borisjohnson and grant shapps want the strikes to go ahead. they want the country to grind to a halt so they can feed off the division. not true, says the government. but this week will see significant disruption on the railways, and there could be more to come. nick eardley, bbc news. and the biggest teaching union, the neu, has said it will ballot its members on strike action in england unless the government offers a pay rise of more than 3%. the union, which has 450,000 members, will write to the education secretary, nadhim zahawi, this week. any strike would take place in the autumn. the new head of the british army has told troops they need to prepare to fight in europe once again. in a letter addressed to all ranks and civil servants, general sir patrick sanders,

said there was a burning imperative for the army to be ready to fight alongside allies to defeat russia in battle. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale, is here. some really strong words? yes, not surrisin: some really strong words? yes, not surprising that _ some really strong words? yes, not surprising that he _ some really strong words? yes, not surprising that he should _ some really strong words? yes, not surprising that he should set - some really strong words? yes, not surprising that he should set out i some really strong words? yes, not surprising that he should set out a l surprising that he should set out a vision as he takes over this new role, or that it is leaked, because it was sent to all soldiers and civil servants, as you say, all that he mentioned russia. i think what is surprising is the strength of language, the bluntness of the language, the bluntness of the language he uses about russia. in that quote, there is now a burning imperative to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating russia in battle. there was another kind of words you would hear from a diplomat or was another kind of words you would hearfrom a diplomat or a civil servant. he is clearly making his mark. ~ ., ., , ., ., mark. what does that mean in ractical mark. what does that mean in practical terms? we _ mark. what does that mean in practical terms? we are i mark. what does that mean in practical terms? we are not i mark. what does that mean in i practical terms? we are not talking about british troops going into ukraine? ., . ., , about british troops going into ukraine? ., , ., , . ., ukraine? politicians have been clear that is not going _ ukraine? politicians have been clear that is not going to _ ukraine? politicians have been clear that is not going to happen. - ukraine? politicians have been clear that is not going to happen. no i that is not going to happen. no other country is going to send troops to fight in ukraine. what they are doing is putting troops

into eastern europe, on a nato's eastern flank, and increasing that number. they are probably going to increase that number for the british, too, at the madrid summit later this month. that then raises questions about the size of the british army, which is now at the napoleonic era, 73,000, the regular army. it's interesting that sir patrick sanders' predecessor made the case for reversing some of those cuts. i think those calls will only get louder. four months into the war in ukraine, many of those most badly—injured by shelling and rocket attacks are being treated overseas. the bbc met some of the younger victims in the early days of the conflict who are now being cared for in germany. but, as wyre davies reports, emergency laws in ukraine which mean men of fighting age must serve in the army make it difficult to keep families together — something that's especially hard on father's day. the victim of a russian rocket

attack on the besieged city of mariupol, 13—year—old diana was eventually evacuated to germany. she had life—threatening wounds. shrapnel lodged in her brain and other terrible injuries. her recovery will be long and difficult. a talented dancer before the war, she still has big dreams. but the russian shell that maimed diana tore herfamily apart. her older sister, her family apart. her older sister, natasha, herfamily apart. her older sister, natasha, and four—year—old niece dominick, were both killed. as the only surviving child, the person diana wants most by her side as her dad, vladimir. they speak every day on the phone. translation: i'm glad to see my dad. but i wish i talked to him like i'm talking to you now. in the immediate aftermath of the attack, vladimir was a broken man. it was heartbreaking to see him imploring, "god, why did you bring this upon me?"

vladimir still looks to god for solace and answers. but stuck here in western ukraine isn't where he needs to be. vladimir is desperate to be with his surviving daughter and wife in germany. but the current state of emergency rules here in ukraine mean that as a man of fighting age, he can't travel. but he is clearly in no fit state to pick up a so while he waits, he comes here, to church, every day, and prays for those he's lost. translation: if they give me that the permit, i'm _ definitely going to go. i cannot be without them. i'm without my family. i keep thinking about them. i need to go there to support my family. forthe i need to go there to support my family. for the sake of diana, for the sake of my wife. you see, i need to carry on for them. and even for the sake of my deceased children. with diana due to undergo another brain operation this week,

vladimir lobbied president zelensky directly for permission to travel. and tonight, at the 11th hour, his prayers were quite literally answered. his daughter is still seriously ill. but at least her father will now be by her side. wyre davis, bbc news, ukraine. france has been going to the polls today in the final round of parliamentary elections. president macron's party is facing the prospect of being unable to command a majority — limiting his ability to push through his polices. he faces a broad left—wing alliance of parties backing jean—luc melenchon — as lucy williamson reports. he's already won the presidency. but this election could make all the difference to emmanuel macron's power. losing the battle for parliament today could leave him limping through his second term and hobble his plans. this is the man who wants to block the president. france's far—left leader jean—luc melenchon is proud

of his left—wing credentials. "to the right," one photographer shouts. "we don't know about the right, we face the other way," he quips. his new alliance of green and left—wing parties finished neck and neck with mr macron's candidates in the round vote. emmanuel macron may have just won a second term as president, but he needs a majority of mps here to pass his reforms. his plans have already been derailed by covid and the yellow vest protests. the election today could deliver a new obstacle in parliament. some voters see this election as a chance to deliver a message to the president. negotiate more and dictate less, they say. it will be a good thing to remind him that almost half of the population is still concerned about social justice and climate justice. others worry about the practical impact of denying the president a majority. they're always going to be bickering.

and bickering stops things from moving. so i'd rather have a government that's cohesive and working together, to get things moving. because, in france, things often stagnate. more than 50% of voters are expected to stay at home today. young people, key supporters for mr melenchon, are seen as especially likely to abstain. uninspired by the battle for parliament, or — as mr melenchon describes it — the final round of the presidential race. well, polls are due to close in the next few minutes and we will get the first official projections of the result. the magic number mr macron is looking for, 289. that is the number of seats that will give him a majority in parliament, and a clear path to his reforms. at the first round of the election shows just what a tough race that could be.

thank you very much. lucy williamson reporting from paris. flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by seasonal monsoon weather have left at least 59 people dead in bangladesh and india. rescue teams have been working throughout the region to bring people trapped by floodwaters to safety. many of those who've died in bangladesh were killed by lightning. forecasters are warning the situation is likely to deteriorate in the coming days. the united states has become the first place in the world to allow children as young as six months old to have the covid—19 vaccine. the move was authorised by the country's national health agency, the centers for disease control and prevention. president biden said parents would be able to book appointments this week. the world governing body of swimming has voted to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's events, unless they have transitioned by the age of 12. it follows controversy over swimmers who were born male but who transitioned and then went

on to win women's races. let's speak to our sports correspondent jane dougall. how much of a surprise is this decision? it how much of a surprise is this decision?— how much of a surprise is this decision? . , , , . decision? it was widely expected in the swimming _ decision? it was widely expected in the swimming community. - decision? it was widely expected in the swimming community. of i the swimming community. of course, the swimming community. of course, the clarity on this policy has been prompted by lia thomas, the first known transgender swimmer to win the highest american female national couege highest american female national college title earlier this year. this policy will effectively stop lia thomas from a competing in a women's categories. it states that the calories of male and female must be kept separate, according to a scientifically grounded six —based criteria, and that any athlete that has gone through any part of the process of male puberty will not be eligible to compete against female swimmers. dr michaeljoyner said even after the suppression of testosterone, the effect of male puberty would still be retained. an open category is due to be set up for some of fina's bigger events.

the decision was welcomed by olympic silver medallist sharron davies, who is a long—time campaigner. but the group athlete ally said that the criteria was discriminative, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the olympic committee --rinciles. . ~' , ., line with the olympic committee --rinciles. . ~ ,. , . cricket, and two days after england's men's cricketers broke the world record for the highest score in a one—day international, they've been back in action. no record required this time as they comfortably chased down the 236 required to clinch a series victory against the netherlands. adam wild reports. after a week they've had you could forgive the dutch a little reluctance to get started. england, raring to go. after being battered for a world record score on friday the netherlands perhaps wisely choosing to bat first this time. no big records broken by them.

still, not everything remained entirely intact. commentator: that's gone all the way! i another big blow brought up their 235, a respectable score. but even in amstelveen this never felt anything other than england's party. they didn't need a big score, but could they get a quick one? here they were getting swiftly started. still, this would be a more patient england, far more civilised. even the heartiest of heaves felt controlled, england cruising. wickets in a sudden slight alarm. some needed one. but no real concern, this england era still looks bright. that's it. we're back with the late news at ten. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. president biden is reviewing tariff policy toward china. he inherited a set of tariffs from the tron administration, many of which were put on as retaliation for china's failure to respond to abuses that were uncovered in a 301 investigation. we all recognise that china engages in a range of unfair

trade practices that it's important to address. but the tariffs we inherited, some serve no strategic purpose

hello, this is bbc news. plans by the government to scrap parts of the post—brexit trade deal

it agreed with the eu would be "economic vandalism" on northern ireland, according to the irish prime minister. the government wants to change the northern ireland protocol to make it easierfor some goods to flow from great britain to northern ireland and is due to set out proposals in parliament tomorrow. the taoiseach micheal martin said the move would damage northern ireland's economy. if we have a complete unilateral reneging on an international agreement that the united kingdom government itself signed up to and recommended ratification to its parliament, which its parliament subsequently did, then of course we're in a very serious situation, but we want to avoid that. nobody wants a trade war in any shape or form. we want this resolved. we believe it can be resolved with goodwill, and i've met all of the political parties in northern ireland. i've met with industry in northern ireland. we believe we know where there's a landing zone to resolve issues around the operation of the protocol to give northern ireland

the best chance in terms of access, obviously, to the european union market and the uk market, of course, and that would position northern ireland well in terms of inward investment. the us treasury secretary says president biden is reviewing us tariffs against china, as a way of bringing down inflation. interviewed on abc news, janet yellen said a recession in the us was not "inevitable" but the economy was likely to slow, days after the us central bank hiked interest rates. she also said some of the hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on china, imposed byjoe biden's predecessor donald trump, serve "no strategic purpose". president biden is reviewing tariff policy toward china. he inherited a set of tariffs from the trump administration, many of which were put on as retaliation for china's

failure to respond to abuses that were uncovered in a 301 investigation. we all recognise that china engages in a range of unfair trade practices that it's important to address. but the tariffs we inherited, some serve no strategic purpose and raise costs to consumers, and so reconfiguring some of those tariffs so they make more sense and reduce some necessary burdens is something that's under consideration. time for a look at the weather with susan. hello. the really hot and humid air has now finally left our shores,

but heatwave conditions do still persist across europe and for central europe they are going to carry on at least into the early part of this week. the amber colour marks the really hot and humid air. we are now in cooler, fresher air marked by the yellow colour. the boundary between the two takes the form of this weather front and this front will sit to the south of the uk through the remainder of sunday, keeping the skies rather more overcast here and producing some showers on into the evening. and as the windfalls lighter, temperatures across central and eastern scotland could actually rurally dip to just three orfour degrees. monday dawns bright, fine, with plenty of sunshine. the winds along the east coast should be lighter. more cloud later in the day for the north west of scotland as a weather front approaches, some rain for orkney and shetland, 20 some rain for orkney and shetland, in aberdeen, 2 and 20 in aberdeen, 22—23 across england and wales. a ridge pushing across from the west, low pressure will try and get into the south, with showers

toward southern coasts. low pressure will not be far away from the north, a bit more cloud into scotland and northern ireland, perhaps some outbreaks of rain. the upshot for the majority of the uk, the week ahead looks largely dry. tuesday, we will see a front bringing more cloud across scotland and northern ireland, which will affect the temperatures, but not particularly significant and some showers across scotland and northern ireland, but it will be cooler. temperatures creeping up a couple of degrees in england and wales. the rest of the week, more cloud across scotland and northern ireland, and a greater chance of showers across scotland and northern ireland by friday. in england and wales, the lion's share of that sunshine through the week ahead. temperatures in the sunshine into the high 20s on wednesday and thursday, but showers more widespread, and the temperature easing back.

this is bbc news — the headlines at seven. the transport secretary accuses union leaders of "punishing millions of innocent people" by pressing ahead with rail strikes this week. itjust seems that the union is determined to go out on strike, the rmt, come what may, and i think it's a very sad situation and i call on them to reconsider. yeah, i feel sorry for them, yeah, ifeel sorry for them, they want to appear rightjust like the rest of us but what can you do? the transort rest of us but what can you do? the transport minister has not been listening — transport minister has not been listening to them for decades and it is time _ listening to them for decades and it is time they listened. it is listening to them for decades and it is time they listened.— is time they listened. it is awful for people. _ is time they listened. it is awful for people. they _ is time they listened. it is awful for people, they need _ is time they listened. it is awful for people, they need to - is time they listened. it is awful for people, they need to travel| is time they listened. it is awful. for people, they need to travel to -et for people, they need to travel to get to— for people, they need to travel to get to their— for people, they need to travel to get to theirjobs _ for people, they need to travel to get to theirjobs and _ for people, they need to travel to get to theirjobs and places. i

polls have closed in france's parliamentary elections — could president macron's grip on power be weakened by the result? and swimming's world governing body