tonight at ten — as thousands of rail workers prepare to go on strike, ministers say it's not theirjob to intervene. in just over 2a hours — the first of three strikes will begin as the government directs this message at workers.

you are being led down a cul—de—sac by the union leadership telling you there is no pay rise when there is, trying to create some sort of class war when there is none to be had. but the unions claim the government is not interested in finding solutions onjobs, pay and pensions — a message shared by labour. boris johnson and grant shapps want the strikes to go ahead. they want the country to grind to a halt so that they can feed off the division. we'll have the latest on how the strikes will affect millions of travellers this week. also tonight... british troops must be prepared to face a renewed threat from russia — that's the message of the new head of the british army. president macron�*s hopes of a new parliamentary majority are fading fast. he's faced a strong challenge from the left. and the international swimming federation votes to restrict the participation of transgender athletes in elite women's events.

welcome to bbc news at ten. in just over 2a hours�* time — the biggest rail strike for decades will be getting under way, causing problems for millions of travellers. grant shapps — the transport secretary — says the strikes by 40,000 rail workers are "unnecessary". but labour has accused the conservatives of wanting a strike to take advantage of division. the extent of the likely disruption is shown by this official map showing the lines with limited services. many areas will have no services at all. the strike action is taking place on tuesday 21stjune, thursday 23rd and saturday 25th. but a much—reduced service will be available in some areas.

normally around 20,000 train services operate each day in the uk, but with a special timetable in place, the figure will be closer to 4,500. let's start with this report by our 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. i don't like strikes. maybe asking for a bit too much of a pay rise. i support the rail strike because no one is listening to them, the transport minister has not been listening to them for decades. 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 unions. 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 is 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. but union leaders say the government needs to allow rail companies to make a better offer and warned strikes will go on as long as necessary. it is not a class war, it is a straightforward trade union dispute because we want to protect our members' jobs, we want to protect their conditions, and we need a pay rise. i think the campaign will intensify if we don't get a settlement, but we are determined and available to get a settlement at any time. 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 and 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 is 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. there are last—ditch talks planned for tomorrow but the chances of a breakthrough seem slim. the government is insisting it is not itsjob to get government is insisting it is not its job to get involved but this is for the unions and employers to work out. there was a warning from the rmt in a bbc interview this could get worse before it gets better. the union saying it is prepared to intensify its campaign and strikes will go on as long as necessary. nick eardley, our political correspondent. for more information about the rail strike — including full details on the lines affected — head to bbc news online, that's bbc.co. uk/news. or use the bbc news app. the new head of the british army has written to troops telling them they need to prepare to "fight in europe once again". general sir patrick sanders — who started the job last week — said that russia's invasion

of ukraine showed the need for the uk and its allies to have the capability to defeat russia. the comments were made in a letter to the army, and our defence correspondent jonathan beale has seen a copy. hejoins me now. could we start with the tone and content, what strikes you? it is not surprising the head of the army wants to make a mark in the first week of his job, not surprising he mentions russia given its invasion of ukraine. what is surprising is the focus on russia and his words, very strong and blunt, making clear the army's focus under his command is to be ready to fight russia in europe if necessary. this is a key quote here. these aren't careful diplomatic words, words easy for a soldier to

understand and for us, this letter was always going to be leaked. viewers watching this scene those words might come to the view that is a hint british troops could be fighting ukraine, is that right? that is not what is going to happen, politicians have been clear british troops will not be deployed to ukraine. what we have seen is more british troops being deployed to the country is in red, 2,000 british troops in estonia, 1000 in poland, and there will be a nato summit probably announcing hundreds more being deployed. at a time when there are questions about the size of the british army, its smallest in centuries. his predecessor patrick saunders argued for some cuts to be reversed. he does not mention this. clearly it is in his mind when he

wrote this letter. jonathan, thank you. let's stay with the conflict in ukraine — and some of those injured in the fighting are now recovering overseas. the bbc has met some of the younger victims injured in the early days of the conflict. 0ur correspondent wyre davies has been following their stories. spasibo. a hospital in a foreign land isn't where masha would have wanted to celebrate her 16th birthday. spasibo. she is far from home with only her grandmother for company. when we first met masha three months ago, she was fighting for her life in zaporizhzhia's children's hospital. her right leg blown off by a russian shell and with other extensive injuries. translation: she's much better now. she refused to eat at all back then, we were scared for her life. she has had 24 surgeries so far. diana was in the same hospital ward as masha and was also

evacuated to germany. the 13—year—old had life—threatening wounds, shrapnel lodged in her brain, and other terrible injuries. her recovery will be long and difficult. the russian shell that maimed diana killed her older sister natasha and her four—year—old niece dominika. 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 am glad to see my dad. but i wish i talked to him like i am 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. the current state of emergency rules here in ukraine mean as a man of a fighting he cannot travel. but he's clearly in no fit state to pick up a gun, so while he waits, he comes here to church every day and prays for those he has lost. translation: if they give me that| permit, i am definitely going to go. i cannot be without them. i am without my family. i keep thinking about them. 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 davies, bbc news, ukraine. in france, milions of voters have been electing members to the national assembly. and it's not looking good

for president macron — despite winning a new presidential term last month — because his coalition is unlikely to win an outright majority which means he'll face a big battle to deliver on his promises. there are 577 seats in the national assembly — so the president's allies needs 289 to form a majority. there are two big groupings. la nupes — a union of greens, socialists and communists led by the veteran left—winger jean—luc melenchon campaigning on the rising cost of living and tackling climate change. and the liberal coalition of parties called ensemble — or together — which backs president macron. the latest signals from the exit polls across france a few hours ago were that ensemble would win the highest number of seats, but not an outright majority.

la nupes are likely to be the second largest grouping, while the centre—right republicans and the far—right national rally under marine le pen will have less than 100 seats each. let's go live to paris for the latest with our correspondent lucy williamson. tonight result is a huge shock for president macron, his prime minister said it posed a risk to france and the government would have to draw the government would have to draw the consequences. what we are seeing is the new shape politics under macron with the opposition on both left and right now made up of parties that want to see radical change in france's collisions with other countries under its constitution. emmanuel macron�*s presidency just got tougher. early projections suggest his centrist coalition has lost a third of its seats tonight.

it is now more than 50 seats short of a majority. just look at the mood. translation: we have never seen a consideration of this type. it poses a risk for our country considering the challenges we face. this is now his main opposition, a new alliance of green left—wing parties dominated by far left mps. tonight, celebrating their new status, as the first opposition party france. translation: is the total defeat of the president's party and there is no majority. we have achieved the political objective we gave ourselves, to bring down the man who with such arrogance twisted the arm

of the whole country to get elected. but this was a big surprise of the night. marine le pen's far right national rally partyjumped from a handful of seats, to almost 90. plenty of opposition to the president from all sides. translation: we are going to continue to bring - french people together, as part of a great popular movement unifying all patriots from the right and left. the parliamentary opposition to mr macron�*s centrist coalition is now much stronger than before, but it's also more fractured, with one bloc led by jean—luc melenchon on the far left of the chamber, and another by marine le pen on the far right. french politics is realigning around these three political groups. some voters say it is no bad thing if president macron is forced to negotiate with his opponents. 0thers believe denying the government a majority only leads to stagnation. president macron is facing a new era of political opposition but that

some see as good for democracy and others as bad for france. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. now a look at some other stories making the news today. several wildfires have broken out in northern spain after a severe heatwave. the most serious one in the sierra de la culebra mountain range in the north west has destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of woodland. almost 60 people have died, and millions have been displaced in bangladesh and north west india by the worst monsoon floods recent history. regional officials said about 3.1 million people were displaced, 200,000 of whom are staying in shelters on raised embankments. the united states has become the first place in the world to allow children as young as six months old to have the covid vaccine. president biden said parents would be able to book appointments this week. leaders of the commonwealth will meet in rwanda this week where the queen will be represented

by prince charles. most of the commonwealth member states are republics with barbados becoming the latest having decided to replace the queen as head of state last year. jamaica's prime minister andrew holness has told the bbc that plans for his country to become a republic have already begun and he's set out a two—year timeline for constitutional change. he was speaking to our correspondent adina campbell. in the swell of the summer heat in downtown kingston, coronation market is the lifeblood of this lively community. if you want to know how jamaicans feel about politics, there is no better place. if you ask about the british royalfamily... reparation. do you thinkjamaica should become a republic? yeah. no, i feel that the queen should still be in control. give us more space -

to develop more on our own. we need help and we need the queen to help us. it is an important year for this caribbean island. the country will soon be celebrating its 60th anniversary, marking the end of british rule. but even more independence could be on the horizon. speaking at the opening of a new arts exhibition, jamaica's prime minister confirmed to me that his government is pressing ahead. is it nowjamaica's time to become a republic? i think the sentiment is that jamaica should move towards becoming a republic. the legal and constitutional matters are not simple and straightforward. but the process towards becoming a republic is clearly identified and seamlessly executed, and we expect that that will be done within the next year.

earlier this year, the duke and duchess of cambridge were injamaica as part of their caribbean tour. but it was overshadowed by protests, and this picture, an unintended reminder of britain's colonial past, becoming one of the defining images of their visit. but the future of jamaica will be decided by its people. if we become a republic, we will still be member of the commonwealth. still with the british but not ruled. we don't want the queen any more. she hasn't done antyhing for us. locked us up, enslaved us and abandoned us, that's what the queen did forjamaica. there is no doubt that if jamaica did end up breaking away from the british monarchy, it would be a symbolic move. but questions over stability and surviving completely alone are still fiercely debated here. adina campbell, bbc news,

kingston, jamaica. the olympic gold medallist and broadcaster dame kelly holmes has said she "can finally breathe" after sharing the news that she is gay. she said she'd lived in fear of being "outed" for over 30 years. dame kelly — who's 52 — won two golds at the 2004 games. she also served in the army. she said she'd known she was gay since she was 17 but had hidden her sexuality forfear of being punished. 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 the issue of swimmers who were born male, but who transitioned and then went on to win women's races. 0ur sports correspondent jane dougall has more. the world swimming championships under way in budapest. just hours earlier in the same city governing

body had made a crucial decision. members of fina voted to effectively bar any trans women who have gone through puberty from competing in women's events. we have to protect the rights of all our athletes to compete. but we also how to protect competitive fairness at our events especially women's competition. the policy has been prompted by swimmers such as lia thomas, the first known transgender swimmer to first known tra nsgender swimmer to win first known transgender swimmer to win a us college title. she will now not be eligible to compete in events at the world championships or 0lympics. campaigner sharron davies has welcomed this. i am really proud of my association to be _ i am really proud of my association to be the _ i am really proud of my association to be the first to come forward and base the _ to be the first to come forward and base the rules on science. we have been _ base the rules on science. we have been asking — base the rules on science. we have been asking for that for five years, to have _

been asking for that for five years, to have first— been asking for that for five years, to have first book for females. a divisive _ to have first book for females. a divisive subject. the debate has led to other sports examining the policies including world cycling. it follows trance athlete emily bridges is �*s failed attempt to compete in the women's category. fina say they will create an open category but some say that is scant consolation. if trans women had undergone an appmpriate — if trans women had undergone an appmpriate period _ if trans women had undergone an appropriate period of— if trans women had undergone ani appropriate period of testosterone sunpression — appropriate period of testosterone suppression than _ appropriate period of testosterone suppression than the _ appropriate period of testosterone suppression than the advantages i appropriate period of testosterone . suppression than the advantages will be mitigated — suppression than the advantages will be mitigated to — suppression than the advantages will be mitigated to the _ suppression than the advantages will be mitigated to the point _ suppression than the advantages will be mitigated to the point where - suppression than the advantages will be mitigated to the point where we l be mitigated to the point where we can have _ be mitigated to the point where we can have meaningful— be mitigated to the point where we can have meaningful competition. i can have meaningful competition. fairness— can have meaningful competition. fairness and — can have meaningful competition. fairness and inclusion _ can have meaningful competition. fairness and inclusion are - can have meaningful competition. fairness and inclusion are the - fairness and inclusion are the cornerstones of sport but this issue has seen both collide and when failings run as deep as this, they won't dissipate any time soon. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes.

some will wonder weather the hot speu some will wonder weather the hot spell of weather last week was it. we have more warm weather in the week ahead. this fiery sunset reported widely in the west midlands. there has been rained across the south of england and wales in recent hours. that will slip away. we will be left with clearing skies. a chilly night for jean, six degrees across scotland —— forjune. these winds are dragging in humid air behind this warm front which will boost temperatures but will also bring quite a lot of cloud. after a fine start, north—west scotland, the cloud and breeze pick—up, some drizzly weather. away from that, it is a

lovely day, most of us will have lots of sunshine. light winds. in the sunshine, temperatures climbing into the low 20s. into tuesday, but warm front will continue. scotland and northern ireland, the cloud building, still some drizzle in the morning. across england and wales, we will see the best sunshine. temperatures rising further, up to 25 degrees. higher temperatures than that in the middle of the week. the humidity will pick up temperatures will climb into the high 20s, with one or two thundery showers in the south—east. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye.

hello, this is bbc news. today marks five years since the finsbury park terror attack. one man died and many others were injured when a van was driven into worshippers outside a mosque in north london. a service of remembrance has been held. tolu adeoye was there. prayer recital. remembering the life lost and saying prayers for those whose lives were changed forever, when a man deliberately drove a van into a crowd near the muslim welfare house in finsbury park five years ago today. 51—year—old makram ali was killed in the attack. darren 0sborne from cardiff was found guilty of terrorism—related murder and jailed for a minimum of 43 years in 2018. he also injured several others, including yassin hersi. one of my legs was broken, and the other one was really, you know, damaged. i've seen the dead body of makram ali

as well there... and all that things is still fresh to my mind, even though it's been five years. it's been a really very hard time. thank you all for gathering here today to... she sobs. to remember my dad, makram ali. some people say with time it gets easier, but i believe that it never gets easy. that black hole, you always have that black hole in you. but it'sjust, you end up creating memories around that, that make that black hole a bit more smaller. there was also a visit to mr ali's memorial tree and plaque today. the met says stopping attacks like this, that devastate lives, is a top priority. it's a really sobering day. i'll finish my day with my kids today. makram ali can't do that. and so tomorrow, i'll get up with thousands of colleagues more and more determined to prevent these terrible

events being repeated. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has said the solidarity shown by all communities in our city in the wake of the attack showed that we will never let terrorists win by dividing us. a message echoed throughout the day, as speakers called for people to stand up against hate crime and islamophobia. tolu adeoye, bbc london. and we'll be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers geri scott political reporter at the times and james rampton, features writer at the independent — that's coming up after the headlines. time for a look at the weather with susan powell. hello, the really hot and humid air of recent days has now cleared from the uk. sinking south into europe, the heatwave is set to persist across central europe through the early part of this week. we're in cooler and fresher air from the north. defining them, a line of cloud, a weather front still giving some showers to the south of the uk this evening but they all

dividing them, a line of cloud, a weather front still giving some showers to the south of the uk this evening but they all clear overnight. northerly wind across the eastern side of the uk easing back and it will turn quite chilly across central and eastern scotland. in rural places we may see lows of three or four. a fresher feel across the uk this sunday night. monday, a lot of sunshine from the get—go. lighter wind in the east. a weather front pushing cloud into the north—west of the uk through the day, some patchy rain for the western isles, 0rkney and shetland. cooler here, highs ofjust11—14. elsewhere, temperatures up the couple of degrees on temperatures from sunday. and through the week ahead, we continually dry weather and temperatures will lift. hello. this is bbc news. we'll be taking a look at the papers in a moment but first the headlines.

a bad night for president macron — he looks set to lose his overall majority in the french parliament. the far—left and the far—right have made gains. rail bosses have confirmed that talks to try to avoid this week's strike action will continue with union leaders tomorrow. after the uk's promise of more heavy weapons to ukraine, the new head of the british army says troops should be prepared to fight russia in europe. and swimming's world governing body votes to effectively ban transgender competitors like american lia thomas from taking part in women's races. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are geri scott, who is a political reporter at the times, and james rampton, features writer at the independent.

the guardian leads on anger as ministers refuse tojoin last—ditch effort to halt rail strikes ahead of a week of cancelled trains with more warnings and potential action to come. "network derailed" — the metro continues on the story of the rail and underground strikes this week, with what they're calling "the biggest rail shutdown in 30 years." the financial times reports on city bosses warning that the uk is ill—equipped to deal with severe economic shock caused by inflation and stagnation. and the i newspaper also leads on rail strikes, carrying a quote that they the strikes could "carry on until the autumn," as the general secretary of the rmt warns people of a "long fight" between unions and network rail. the picture central on the front page of the independent is macron outside polling stations yesterday as latest projections suggest macron is set to lose his grip on power, by winning seats just short of a majority in france's national assembly.