welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm arunoday mukharji. lets get you the headlines... israel looks set for a 5th election in just four years — after the prime minister calls for parliament to be dissolved as his coalition falls apart. the uk braces itself for the biggest railway strike in three decades — after talks on pay and conditions break down. the row over bulldozing homes in india — are political parties using bricks and mortar to punish their opponents? and — we report on how thailand has legalised the use of marijuana — sparking a craze for all sorts of cannabis creations. live from our studio in singapore...

face is bbc news. it's newsday. ——this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 6am in singapore, and 1am in israel where prime minister, naftali bennett is to step down from his post and dissolve parliament — triggering a fresh election. the current foreign minister, yair lapid, will temporarily take over. mr bennett has been in thejob forjust over a year and has struggled to stabilise his increasingly fragile governing coalition. here is the israeli prime minister, naftali bennett, speaking earlier. translation: i held a series of talks with officials - and i realised that in ten days where the expiration of the west bank regulations, israel will experience serious security damages and legal cast. —— security damages and legal chaos.

we spared no efforts to galvanise whomever was needed to pass the regulations, but our efforts bore no fruit. therefore, my friend the foreign minister and i decided to act together to dissolve parliament and set an agreed—upon date for elections. i'm joined now by gil hoffman, chief political correspondent of the jerusalem post. thank you very much for your time here i newsday on the bbc. this has been the most diverse coalition in israel's political history and there have been weeks of speculation that it was on the verge of collapse. how did it come to this? it it was on the verge of collapse. how did it come to this?— did it come to this? it came to this because they _ did it come to this? it came to this because they had _ did it come to this? it came to this because they had another ten - did it come to this? it came to this i because they had another ten days to pass a bill that had to be passed in order to prevent chaos, and the opposition wasn't willing to support it in the coalition had too many rebellions and was left with a minority government, and that minority government, and that minority government, and that minority government could not last very long, but it doesn't say

anything wrong with diversity. we could very well have just a diverse government with dues and arabs cooperating again after the next election. ., ~ , election. the former prime minister has been looking _ election. the former prime minister has been looking to _ election. the former prime minister has been looking to stage _ has been looking to stage a comeback, he's made that clear. a lot of interest surrounding this aspect. what are the chances of that happening? i aspect. what are the chances of that ha enin: ? ., aspect. what are the chances of that ha eninu? ., aspect. what are the chances of that ha enin? ., ~:: :: aspect. what are the chances of that hauenin? ., ~:: :: ., happening? i would say 60-40, at least. he still— happening? i would say 60-40, at least. he still does _ happening? i would say 60-40, at least. he still does have _ least. he still does have the support of the majority of the people for his diplomatic security and economic policies, and this government failing to last very long only makes him look better. he's the longest serving prime minister and israel's history and at 72 years old, he is still young, his father passed away at the age of 102. israel will be holding its fifth general election in under four years. just a word about the citizens, how have they been viewing these rapidly changing political developments within such a short period of time?— developments within such a short period of time? look, the citizens

of israel have _ period of time? look, the citizens of israel have been _ period of time? look, the citizens of israel have been through - period of time? look, the citizens of israel have been through a - period of time? look, the citizens of israel have been through a lot. of israel have been through a lot politically, einstein's theory of insanity, during the same thing over and over again insanity, during the same thing over and overagain and insanity, during the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. i can understand how it can be frustrating and yet 70% to for elections —— and four elections in a row and probably the same in the next election coming up. so they are still committed to israeli democracy in spite of all of its challenges.— israeli democracy in spite of all of its challenges. what can we expect in conclusion _ its challenges. what can we expect in conclusion in _ its challenges. what can we expect in conclusion in the _ its challenges. what can we expect in conclusion in the next _ its challenges. what can we expect in conclusion in the next few - its challenges. what can we expect| in conclusion in the next few weeks in conclusion in the next few weeks in the to the election? fix, in conclusion in the next few weeks in the to the election?— in the to the election? a very big mess. in the to the election? a very big mess- there _ in the to the election? a very big mess. there could _ in the to the election? a very big mess. there could be _ in the to the election? a very big mess. there could be an - in the to the election? a very big| mess. there could be an attempt in the to the election? a very big i mess. there could be an attempt to form an alternative government and avoid an election, it is unlikely but it is still very much on the table. after the elections are called, there is going to be recruitment of all kinds of celebrities to try to restructure the political map. so, hopefully in one way or another, a stable government can be formed and can and the political chaos that has gone on

for way too long. gail the political chaos that has gone on for way too long-— for way too long. gail hoffman we will leave it _ for way too long. gail hoffman we will leave it there, _ for way too long. gail hoffman we will leave it there, thank- for way too long. gail hoffman we will leave it there, thank you - for way too long. gail hoffman we will leave it there, thank you very| will leave it there, thank you very much for getting your input on that developing story. ——gil hoffman we will leave it there, thank you very much for getting your input on that developing story. the biggest rail strike in the uk in 30 years will go ahead this week with services affected tomorrow, thursday and saturday. last—minute talks between union leaders and rail bosses failed to generate a breakthrough. union leaders want a pay rise of at least 7 percent for their workers, as the cost of living crisis begins to bite. but the government has described the unions as "outdated". here's our transport correspondent, katy austin. people heading home this evening were catching some of the last trains before much of the network grinds to a halt in the biggest national rail strike in three decades. last—ditch talks between rail bosses on the rmt union this afternoon ended without a settlement. the rmt has rejected a pay offer worth 3%. faced with such an aggressive agenda of cuts to jobs, conditions, pay and pensions,

the rmt has no choice but to defend our members industrially and to stop this race to the bottom. the rail industry is under pressure to save money after the pandemic hit passenger numbers and revenue and billions of tax—payers' money kept services running. rail bosses and the government want the rmt to agree to reforms and more modern ways of working. if we are able to bring modern practices into the way we run the railway, that could save hundreds of millions of pounds, and that could be transferred into savings and a better pay offer we could put on the table. up to 40,000 members of the rmt are due to walk out on three days this week. they work for 13 train companies, for example guards and cleaners, and at network rail, which maintains and operates the railway across england, scotland and wales. its staff include signallers. signalling staff are crucial to be able to run any trains at all on the tracks, and even with contingency measures

in place, about half of britain's rail network will be completely closed tomorrow, thursday and saturday. where trains can run, there will be a very limited service, and only between about 7:30am and 6:30pm. portsmouth is one of the places that will have no trains at all on strike days. josh takes a train to work as manager of this pub in portsmouth city centre because he finds parking difficult and fuel prices have gone up. he will have to drive this week, and is worried the business will suffer if customers who can work from home. i think we are going to be losing about 30% of our normal trade and a lot of that is because a big part of our trade as commuters. unfortunately, i'll have to cut back on my staffing levels. that's another hit for my staff. also affected by the strike are some pupils taking gcse and a—level exams this week, including those at this college in hereford, where 600 students usually travel in by train. we have spent two years of trying

to prepare students and give them the confidence, and to have this slap in the face at this point, it makes it very, very difficult. the knock—on effect of strike days will mean a reduced service on wednesday, friday and sunday, too. and tomorrow, a walk—out on the london underground will mean added disruption for the capital. labour and the unions have called on ministers to intervene to try and solve the dispute. the transport secretary today insisted that wasn't his place. the employers have the facility to be able to negotiate what are complex and detailed, 20 different areas of reform that are required. there is no way that a minister could step into that discussion and be any help. tomorrow's industrial action is now confirmed. the question now is whether more will follow. let's bring in our correspondent sean dilley in london. thank you very much for coming up for us. the government has been

waning rail unions, the unions have been blaming the rail bosses and the government. at the situation really have been avoided? it’s government. at the situation really have been avoided?— have been avoided? it's very difficult to — have been avoided? it's very difficult to answer _ have been avoided? it's very difficult to answer the - have been avoided? it's very i difficult to answer the question whether it could be avoided. it needs to be seen in the wider context that there are strikes in different industries at the moment, for instance, barristers and england and wales who are lawyers speaking in court. they are due to strike over an issue around legal aid fees, which is funding for criminal defendants and others. teachers today in the united kingdom, the national education you are among those calling for an inflation based pay rise, now can actually commit there is some similarity because the rmt union, the union 40,000 members of which are walking out across the country, they are asking for a pay rise of around 7%. now, that is quite a disconnect between what the employers are offering, 2% or 3% if and players are prepared to accept reforms. in particular, it is quite

interesting because the rmt union is claiming two key things that the government are taking issue with, the first is there are 2 billion uk pounds deficit and funding. that's something the uk government says is due to the difference in revenue pre—and post—pandemic. the rail delivery group in the uk says that 80% of passengers are returning, but the second point, and this is an important one, the rmt union is claiming that the government have told them they would like to shut all ticket offices across the country, a claim dismissed as absurd by the uk government. they have said that they haven't made any final decisions. ~ ., that they haven't made any final decisions. ~ . ., decisions. with the talks failing, how do you _ decisions. with the talks failing, how do you see _ decisions. with the talks failing, how do you see this _ decisions. with the talks failing, how do you see this playing - decisions. with the talks failing, how do you see this playing out| decisions. with the talks failing, | how do you see this playing out in the next couple of days? what efforts are going to be made to try to come to some sort of common ground, some sort of resolution? you have to ground, some sort of resolution? ym. have to understand that this is set against the backdrop of a very uneasy country. we have heard how exams could be missed as a result of this, a very significant and iconic music festival glastonbury could be

impacted. there will be discussion on rail commuters, many of whom are fortunate enough to benefit from flexible working, but it is something that the government is going to feel under a great deal of pressure in general. so they are going to be taxed between the government, an organisation called network rail, and that is significant, i will come back to that and the privatised rail companies because you have to bear in mind that it is around 30 years since the rail companies in the united kingdom were privatised rather than public ownership. so the government is not the employer. they are standing on that point and they are standing on that point and they are saying that we are not the employer, the negotiations must be between the unions and the employer. at network rail who operate lots of train stations are significant because although scott rail, the train company for scotland and transport for wales aren't involved in this dispute. many of the knock on effects are going to impact countries across at least three of the four nations of the united

kingdom. we the four nations of the united kinudom. ~ the four nations of the united kin . dom. ~ ., kingdom. we will leave it there. thank you _ kingdom. we will leave it there. thank you very _ kingdom. we will leave it there. thank you very much _ kingdom. we will leave it there. thank you very much for - kingdom. we will leave it there. thank you very much for getting | kingdom. we will leave it there. i thank you very much for getting us the very latest on that situation. india's supreme court will hold a hearing on tuesday — on whether bulldozing homes belonging to muslims accused of taking part in violent protests in the state of uttar pradesh, is being carried out legally. the demolitions have been criticised in india, and made headlines globally. many say that bulldozing has become a weapon of choice for the hindu nationalist bjp government to destroy homes and livelihoods of the minority muslim community. 0ur south asia correspondent, rajini vaidyanathan has the details. in the streets of saharanpur, a lingering fear. for muslims in the town, nothing feels safe any more. anti—muslim sentiment is growing in india. targeted in hate crimes, attacked in political speeches. now they are afraid the government is coming for their homes.

this is what happened... bulldozers sent in after her 17—year—old son, abdul, was detained. authorities say they will demolish illegally constructed homes, of those accused of taking part in violent protests. she was here with her young grandchildren when the diggers showed up without warning. translation: the | children were crying. they were howling. there were lots of police here, too. everyone was scared. the bulldozer was outside and we were in here. thousands demonstrated in the town following friday prayers over a week ago. after a national spokesperson for the hindu nationalist bjp made offensive remarks about the prophet muhammad. a largely peaceful march turned tense. dozens of muslim men detained.

this woman hasn't seen her son since that day. he is accused of rioting. she says he wasn't even at the protests. but officials have been to inspect her house. she's scared the bulldozers could visit next. translation: we sacrificed | everything to build this house. they came and said it's illegal and threatened to break it down. we are insects for them. they can crush us any time they want. it's notjust the town of saharanpur. in recent months, bulldozers have been deployed across india by the governing bjp to crack down on dissent. they are calling it bulldozer justice here in india, a form of punishment which many say targets muslim protesters. one which has drawn criticism from some of the country's top legal minds. in a statement, a group of retired

judges and sitting supreme court lawyers said it was an unacceptable subversion of the rule of law and a violation of citizens' rights. one which makes a mockery of the constitution. but india's bjp government disagrees. we asked an elected official from the party here if bulldozing was a proportionate response. translation: nobody has a right l to destroy any public property, l so according to the law, definitely the bulldozer must be used on them. bulldozing is the right thing to do. a threat to their homes and their rights. the bulldozer risks shaking the foundations of india's democratic values. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, saharanpur. you're watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme... the latest on the severe monsoon

storms in india and bangladesh, where millions remain stranded — with villages and towns totally cut off. members of the neo—nazi resistance movement armed with pistols and shotguns. we believe that, according to international law, that we have a right to claim certain parts of this country is our land. i take pride in the words "ich bin ein berliner." cheering. as the uk woke up to the news that it is to exit the european union, leave campaigners began celebrating. in total, 17.4 million people voted for the uk to leave the eu. the medical research council has now advised the government that the great increase in lung cancer is due mainly to smoking tobacco.

it was closing time for checkpoint charlie, which for 29 years hosted on the border as a mark of allied determination to defend the city. welcome back to newsday on the bbc with me arunoday mukharji in singapore. our main stories once again... israel's prime minister and foreign minister have agreed to dissolve parliament, triggering the fifth election in less than four years. the uk's biggest rail strikes for three decades will go ahead this week, after talks over pay and conditions fail to reach agreement. millions of people in bangladesh and north—east india have been left marooned by floodwaters with rescue teams struggling to reach them. dozens of people are known to have died and many more are missing. floods and landslides were triggered by a week of relentless rainfall. in some of the border areas

between bangladesh and india — the authorities say about 60% of the area is now under water. power supplies and communications are down, while food and fresh drinking water are running short. 0ur correspondent yogita limaye is in mumbai and gave us this update. the situation in both bangladesh and india remains severe, and this region, hundreds of thousands of people are still stranded, and the military has been pressed into action to try to reach them. we have been told by the bangladesh military that they are in the west ——we have been told by the bangladesh military that they are in the worst affected area, but that there are lots of remote places beyond that as well where there is no connectivity with people in those areas. power lines are down. those who have been moved to safety have talked about how they were waiting on their rooftops for a day or two before someone came

to rescue them on a makeshift boat. they talked about how this is the worst flooding they've seen in their lives. we heard a bangladeshi officials say this is the worst the country has seen since 2004. in india is welcome in the northeastern states, the situation remains grim. the administration has said that 615 camps have been set up for people who have been moved to safety. these are temporary shelters in schools and community centres. the national disaster response force is trying to reach as many people as they can buy boat, and the sentience air force has been pressed into action as well, primarily to try to get food packets, medicines and water, clean drinking water to people who are in relative safety back who were cut off from other areas, so until they can be moved to safety, at least they have food, water and medicines, and of course, there is the great risk of disease breaking out, so there are also teams forming in the areas where people have been evacuated to offer basic treatment.

now, these are areas that are used to seeing buds each year, what's happened this time around is that they were hit by floods ——now, these are areas that are used to seeing floods each year, what's happened this time around is that they were hit by floods in may, and even before they had a chance to recover, this is not happen again. there are usually warning systems in place as well because this happens every year in south asia during the monsoon season, but it has been unrelenting rainfall for nearly a week, so people were not able to move to safety, they were not able to be evacuated on time. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. ukraine says it will increase its export of grain to two million tonnes this month using land routes — but that will still be less than half the amount it would previously have moved by sea. an official in kyiv said two million tonnes is the maximum volume that the existing infrastructure can transport each month. a chinese film—maker wanted by the malawian authorities over allegations of racism and child exploitation has been arrested in neighbouring zambia. lu ke was exposed by a bbc africa eye investigation

which reported he had used malawian children to film personalised greetings videos, some of which included racist content. colombia's largest active rebel group, the national liberation army has said it's willing to resume peace talks with the government once the new president, gustavo petro, takes office in august. mr petro has become the country's first left—wing leader after winning sunday's presidential election. this year thailand has seen a striking turnaround in its laws on illegal drugs. until recently the kingdom's harsh penalties would see hundreds of foreigners locked up on long sentences. but now the government has completely legalised the use of marijuana, released thousands of prisoners, and, as our south east asia correspondentjonathan head reports, sparked off a boom in weed—related businesses. a cannabis craze is sweeping thailand. see how beautiful it is?

this is the country's health minister. the architect of what is now the most liberal marijuana regimes anywhere in the world. being cheered by enthusiastic locals who hope that this green gold will bring them new wealth. it is an astonishing turnaround for a country that still has some of the toughest punishments for drug use. we want to destigmatize these products from being a narcotic. people, when they have access to this cannabis industry, they will not go to the dark side. they will only focus on how to make a better living. already, cannabis is being offered in a mind blowing variety of forms. the official view is that this should all be for medical or therapeutic purposes. that's what the government is promoting to tourists. they want people coming to thailand to get well, not high.

in practice, though, the new law makes pretty much anything from the marijuana plant — however potent — legal. translation: | am| happy, really happy. now villagers like us can grow it legally. we no longer have to hide. even what is perhaps thailand's most famous product — its cooking — has been caught up in the craze. it's actually an old tradition here of putting marijuana into quite a few recipes, including the dishes in front of me here, which the government would like to tap into, as it pursues its goal of turning thailand into a marijuana hub. but can it do that without an explosion in recreational use? something the government doesn't want to happen. many doubt that it can. so what happens in here, nan? we are mostly focusing on cbd flower strains, so... nan is a marijuana enthusiast.

super exciting. today is such a big win, i think, for all stoners in thailand. she's also the daughter of a powerful local politician who's backing cannabis cultivation in this puerile region of thailand. nan plans to help local farmers with her know—how. she's not convinced that the government's focus on medical use is realistic. we all know from studying, like, other markets, recreational is where the money is at. so i think this is a good step towards that if we are really thinking of this as an actual economic crop. even though the government says it strictly for medical purposes, it's not for recreational. i hope that they see the potential, the economics of it, and hopefully that will aid with the legalisation of, like, recreational use. this really feels like a new age for thailand. just a month ago, possessing this

much marijuana might have got you 15 years in jail. today, anyone can cash in on the weed bonanza. and with just a few restrictions, enjoy consuming it too. jonathan head, bbc news, thailand. before you go — let's bring you a story from cambodia. villagers have caught what's thought to be the heaviest freshwater fish ever seen , a 300kg stingray. it took about a dozen men to haul the 4—metre long giant out of the mekong river. after being fitted with an electronic tag to track its future movement, the stingray was released back into the river. it's also very exciting news because it means that this stretch of river is still healthy. we hear a lot of stories about all the problems with this river, but this is actually a sign of hope that the huge fish still live in that river. that's all for now —

stay with bbc world news. hello. tuesday promises a long day ahead, quite literally the longest day of the year. it's the summer solstice, and for shetland, we're looking at close to a whopping 19 hours of daylight. i can't promise you 19 hours of sunshine here, however, because there is a weather front closing in on the north of scotland, and that will mean more cloud around, maybe even some rain through tuesday, although it should brighten across scotland later in the day. quite grey initially with some drizzly rain, but by the afternoon, skies should brighten especially in the east and we could see some isolated showers. with the clearest of the skies and the best of the sunshine, england and wales will be the place to be, and here, the top temperatures returning to the mid 20s. cooler for aberdeen as we see the weather front slide south. pollen levels come down somewhat

across scotland in response to the weather front in place, but still remain high across england, wales and northern ireland. tuesday evening, some more fine weather around and more sunshine until quite late into the evening, and then, as darkness falls, clear skies continue across england and wales and more in the way of patchy cloud in scotland and northern ireland, overnight lows typically in double figures, somewhere between the 10—12 degree mark. for wednesday into thursday, we've still got high pressure trying to push across the uk, this little ridge from the west, so actually quite a lot of fine weather to come for both wednesday and thursday, and no really dramatic changes — perhaps more sunshine across central and eastern scotland, and here, we should see temperatures responding to that and pushing up into the low 20s. still cooler in the north west of scotland with more cloud, but look at england and wales — 28 degrees, actually seeing some significant

heat returning through wednesday, and thursday's picture will be very similar indeed for england and wales. chance of a few showers closing into the south coast, spilling up from the continent, but they should be few and far between. scotland and northern ireland, perhaps little more cloud around, but temperatures up to 20 in belfast and aberdeen. it's the end of the week where it looks like things will start to turn more unsettled, and into the weekend, showers becoming more widespread, the wind picking up and the temperatures sliding down.

this is bbc news. the latest headlines. israel's prime minister, naftali bennet, says he will hold a vote to dissolve the parliament next week. it comes after differences began to emerge among coalition partners. the uk's biggest strike by railway workers for three decades is due to start at midnight local time. staff are walking out in a row over pay and working conditions. employers say they have made a fair offer, and the network needs to evolve. millions of people in bangladesh and north—east india have been stranded by floodwaters. rescue teams are struggling to reach them. dozens of people are known to have died — many more are missing. the european union's foreign policy chief has described russia's blockade of ukrainian ports as a war crime. tens of millions of tonnes

of wheat can't be exported. russia says any problems have been created by western sanctions.