this is bbc news. i'm annita mcveigh. the headlines at 9am... the biggest rail strike in three decades is under way — the first of three affecting england, scotland and wales. fewer than 20% of trains are expected to run today. with last ditch negotations failing, the prime minister accuses the unions of harming the very people they claim to be helping. the unions say the government blocked negotiations. the government could have made a move to settle this dispute but instead they are escalating. the lies they are telling about railway workers and the railway industry are outrageous. 90% of trains cancelled here in scotland, with no services outside the central belt.

how is the strike affecting you? are you working from home? did you have a trickyjourney to work? do you support the strikes? we'd like to hear your thoughts. get in touch with me on twitter @annitabbc and use the hashtag #bbcyourquestions. in other news, a senior ukrainian official says russian forces have almost captured the strategic city of severodonetsk, with ukrainian forces holding on to just one factory. a russian nobel peace laureate auctions his medal for £81; million to raise funds for children displaced by the war in ukraine. and to mark his 40th birthday, new photos are released of prince william selling the big issue — we look back at his four decades in the spotlight.

good morning. the biggest rail strike in 30 years is under way, with an almost total shutdown of the network in england, scotland and wales. members of the rail, maritime and transport workers union are staging the first of this week's three 24—hour walk—outs due to an ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions. the strike action today will continue on thursday and saturday. passengers are being advised not to travel. most major lines will be impacted by the strikes. many areas will be left with no services. while operators hope to work to a special timetable, distruption is expected on non—strike days too. in a cabinet meeting, borisjohnson is expected to call for a "sensible compromise" on pay, saying "too high demands" on wages will make it hard to halt rising inflation. in a moment we'll be live in london, cardiff and glasgow but first, with the latest,

vincent mcaviney reports. britain's usually bustling train stations have fallen silent this morning, apart from the union picket lines outside. while many have simply decided to work from home once again this week, others don't have that luxury and so are making their way in by any other means possible. only about half of the network will be open today, thursday and saturday. where trains are running, it is between about 7:30am and 6:30pm. overall, about 20% of normal services are due to operate. and the knock—on impact means disruption on the days after the strikes too, with around 60% of services running. the rail industry is under pressure to save money. bosses argue change is needed because passengers�* habits have altered during the pandemic and outdated ways of working need to be modernised, something the government agrees with. it is a stunt, and they are doing it for effect. they have walked out of the talks yesterday afternoon whilst

they were still ongoing and went and called a press conference and said it was over. it is quite clearly the rmt and labour who have got nothing to say on this, they won't even condemn the strikes, with millions of hard—working people unable to get to theirjobs. but the rmt says the reforms mean job cuts, and workers need a pay rise that reflects the increased cost of living. it has rejected a pay offer worth 3%. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, from what i can see. if we can negotiate a deal this week it can be, but otherwise we'll have to look at what campaigns we are going to put on going forward, and we think that other unions are going tojoin us in this dispute on the railways and more broadly in society. train companies said they were very disappointed and called on the rmt to carry on talking. the union said it was still open to discussions that could settle the dispute. for now, rail passengers across britain face a week of disruption. vincent mcaviney, bbc news. in a moment we will go

to alexandra mackenzie in glasgow — but first let's cross to cardiff and speak to our wales correspondent mark hutchings — what situation will passengers face there? one person has just one person hasjust appeared and shorter as i speak to you, a pretty empty platform telling a story? == empty platform telling a story? -- “ust empty platform telling a story? » just appeared and shot. you might be able to hear the announcement which should be the 9:08 from london so you might spot a train shortly, i had turned into a low—grade train spotter in the last couple of balance, i have seen two trains depart for london and one arrived from bristol but it is a pretty threadbare servers operating out of cardiff and beyond that nothing running in wales, nothing in north wales, mid wales, nothing west of cardiff, there are a few valleys lines running into treherbert, aberdare and merthyr because they

are on track managed by transport for wales who are not involved in this strike but they are impacted because other services are running on network rails, which is caught up in the dispute —— running on network rail. you would think there might be problems on the road but plenty of people are now working from home since the pandemic, we have spoken to a couple of french tourists hoping to get to the harry potter experience. a train magically appeared so they hopped on board, but as we wait for this train from bristol, looking around it is pretty quiet on the great western front. thank you for bringing us up to date with the picture there. there will be an extremely limited service in scotland today, alexandra mackenzie is in glasgow. talk through what is running and what isn't?— running and what isn't? there has been no rush-hour— running and what isn't? there has been no rush-hour this _ running and what isn't? there has been no rush-hour this morning, | running and what isn't? there has i

been no rush-hour this morning, i've been no rush—hour this morning, i've been no rush—hour this morning, i've been here for a couple of hours and it has been really quiet. normally you would see thousands of people coming through central station in glasgow everyday but definitely not today. the chairs behind me are normally full, they are very empty, and the departure board which would normally be jam—packed, it is only about half full and it was completely empty when i first came this morning. normally trains would run from the station from about liz30am, people trying to get to london euston, people going to manchester airport, london euston, people going to manchesterairport, but london euston, people going to manchester airport, but the first servers this morning was not until 7:30am. there are a few services due to run, the larkhall service at 9:15am, they should be the edinburgh waverley train too and they london

euston at 10:08. scotrail, which operates most of the trains in scotland, is not involved in the strike but the reason they can only run 10% of the services is because they rely on network rail, so they are not able to run the services because network rail are obviously on strike. so there will only be 10% of services, and that will only be within a small area of scotland too. there will be five services running mostly around the edinburgh glasgow area. if you want to travel on the train about the rest of the country, south of here all further north, dundee, inverness, aberdeen, absolutely not trains and no bus services put on by scotrail, so lots of disruption for commuters across scotland. �* . ., ., ~ our correspondent nina warhurst is at euston station in central london for us. good morning. it must feel very

strange for all of you reporting on this to be at such quiet stations? yes, the number of times i had stood on that, because cheek byjowl with strangers and wished for elbow room and there has been known, quite the opposite today. there are about 30 passengers below me, roughly five also trains departing every hour, a small peak at around eight o'clock but hardly anybody that at the moment. the people travelling have important reasons, one man desperately needs to get back to her kids in manchester, someone else had flights booked from manchester airport and was using the train to get there. speaking with the railway workers who cross the picket line, i asked her services were running and they said trains run better when there are fewer of them. —— i asked them how services were running. passengers were prepared for delay, they are understanding for now but

what might push patients is later in the summer if the strikes continue, as mick lynch, the general secretary of the rmt union, has warned. he said they could carry on after sunday if a deal is not reached on batters when people will start to feel they losing control of summer again with parties cancelled and profit margin squeeze, so at that point patients run out. talks failed last night, as we know, the blame game continues. mick lynch told me earlier he is looking to the government for them to come to the table, the government is looking to the rail network providers, the provider is looking to the unions, the circle cannot be squared up the knock—on implications for the economy as the date and possibly weeks continue will be lost. thank ou, nina weeks continue will be lost. thank you, nina warhurst _ weeks continue will be lost. thank you, nina warhurst in _ weeks continue will be lost. thank you, nina warhurst in london, - you, nina warhurst in london, alexandra in glasgow at the market in cardiff. thank you for bringing us up to date with the picture —— and mark in cardiff.

i'm joined now by pat mcfadden, shadow chief secretary to the treasury. thank you for your time. do you support these strikes? we thank you for your time. do you support these strikes?— thank you for your time. do you support these strikes? we did not want to see _ support these strikes? we did not want to see them, _ support these strikes? we did not want to see them, they _ support these strikes? we did not want to see them, they cause - support these strikes? we did not want to see them, they cause an l want to see them, they cause an enormous inconvenience to the public, as your correspondence have reported from all around the country. we want to see a deal to end the strikes as soon as possible. nobody wants to see strikes happening to get into that position, but now they are happening, do you support those workers on strike? we support those workers on strike? - understand why people are asking for a pay rise when inflation is touching 10% but the thing we are focused on is the inconvenience this causes to the british public and many of them are workers too, we want to see a negotiated end to this for all these issues around to pay, conditions, pensions and so on, to be settled around the negotiating table, that is important notjust from the point of view of the

railway dispute we are talking about today but also from the point of view of the prospect of further industrial unrest in different sectors. the last thing we want is a repeat of this in different parts of the economy running right through the economy running right through the summer, that is not in the country's interests and the government should exercise every sinew to try to avoid that outcome. is the 7% the rmt is asking for reasonable in your opinion? the recise reasonable in your opinion? tue: precise percentage reasonable in your opinion? tte: precise percentage that is agreed at the end will have to be resolved around the negotiating table, but with inflation hitting 10% we understand why people are campaigning fora understand why people are campaigning for a decent pay rise. one of the reasons we have such problems around pay is ten years of anaemic economic growth which has left workers in this country thousands of pounds worse off than would have been the case if we continued with the rate of economic growth and pay rises that we had when labour was in power. you are

sa in: when labour was in power. you are saying growth _ when labour was in power. you are saying growth is — when labour was in power. you are saying growth is anaemic, - when labour was in power. you are saying growth is anaemic, so - when labour was in power. you are saying growth is anaemic, so it's i when labour was in power. you are| saying growth is anaemic, so it's 7% in the context we are in now with inflation rising but warnings that increases in wages could lead to inflation spiralling further, is 7% inflation spiralling further, is 7% in that context realistic in your opinion? in that context realistic in your oinion? , . ., ., ., opinion? the percentage will have to be negotiated _ opinion? the percentage will have to be negotiated by _ opinion? the percentage will have to be negotiated by people _ opinion? the percentage will have to be negotiated by people around - opinion? the percentage will have to be negotiated by people around the l be negotiated by people around the negotiating table and in the end thatis negotiating table and in the end that is how this dispute will be resolved, but the reason i talk about economic growth is that it is too short—term to look at what immediately resolves this. to make people in this country better off, we have to do something about the terrible record of economic growth experienced since the conservatives came into power in 2010. right now they look like they have no plan to do that for the future and unless they have a plan for that we will be an continued pay pressures where people cannot afford to make ends meet, there will be upward pressure

on taxes. little comes back to the government's poor record on economic growth so there is a short—term record with the dispute but a long—term issue with growth and the prosperity of the country. long-term issue with growth and the prosperity of the country.— prosperity of the country. transport secretary grant _ prosperity of the country. transport secretary grant shapps _ prosperity of the country. transport secretary grant shapps was - prosperity of the country. transport secretary grant shapps was asked l prosperity of the country. transport | secretary grant shapps was asked on bbc breakfast this morning when he last met the rmt and he referred to his rail minister meeting the union. if labour wasn't government, would your transport secretary be directly meeting with the union in this situation. tt meeting with the union in this situation. �* , ., situation. if we weren't government me would do _ situation. if we weren't government me would do everything _ situation. if we weren't government me would do everything to - situation. if we weren't government me would do everything to bring - situation. if we weren't government me would do everything to bring a l me would do everything to bring a resolution to this. it is a big difference in approach. when i look at the issues coming to politics these days i see far too often government ministers using them as a wedge or divisive issue. we have lots of issues now, a backlog in passport, driving licences, gp appointments, airports and so on, we seem to have a government completely losing its grip. it is only a few

month since the prime minister stood at the tory party conference and promised a high wage economy. where are we after that? backlog britain with industrial disputes, it is time they got a grip. you with industrial disputes, it is time they got a grip-— with industrial disputes, it is time they got a grip. you have been very careful with — they got a grip. you have been very careful with your— they got a grip. you have been very careful with your language, - they got a grip. you have been very careful with your language, as - careful with your language, as colleagues in the labour party have too, when i asked you, do you support the strikes? what is keir starmer most concerned about? giving the conservatives a stick to beat labour with if he says we support the rights of workers to strike? was it the right decision for mr starmer to save shadow ministers and parliamentary private secretary should not be on the picket lines? it is not a matter of being concerned about that, our concern is the british public who are being greatly inconvenienced today, so while we understand people and trade union members campaigning for a pay rise, nobody wants to see industrial disputes. whenever there is an industrial dispute, even though

people have a legal right to do this it ultimately represents the failure of a negotiating process so we want to see the revival of that to get the railways up and running and to stop the inconvenience to the travelling public we are seeing today. travelling public we are seeing toda . ., , , travelling public we are seeing toda . . , , ., , travelling public we are seeing toda . . , , ., ,, today. kate ellis but he was a pps has said she _ today. kate ellis but he was a pps has said she will _ today. kate ellis but he was a pps has said she will be _ today. kate ellis but he was a pps has said she will be on _ today. kate ellis but he was a pps has said she will be on the - today. kate ellis but he was a pps has said she will be on the picket| has said she will be on the picket line, will she be sanctioned? —— kate osborne, who is a pps. that line, will she be sanctioned? -- kate osborne, who is a pps. that is a matter for— kate osborne, who is a pps. that is a matter for the _ kate osborne, who is a pps. that is a matter for the whips _ kate osborne, who is a pps. that is a matter for the whips and - kate osborne, who is a pps. that is a matter for the whips and the - kate osborne, who is a pps. that is| a matter for the whips and the party leader, not for me. but a matter for the whips and the party leader, not for me.— leader, not for me. but there has to be -a leader, not for me. but there has to be party discipline. _ leader, not for me. but there has to be party discipline. that _ leader, not for me. but there has to be party discipline. that is - leader, not for me. but there has to be party discipline. that is a - be party discipline. that is a matter for — be party discipline. that is a matter for them, _ be party discipline. that is a matter for them, it - be party discipline. that is a matter for them, it is - be party discipline. that is a matter for them, it is not i be party discipline. that is a - matter for them, it is not something i would personally be involved in. my i would personally be involved in. my focus today is to argue for a negotiated end to this so we stop the inconvenience to the public and stopped the gameplaying from ministers which sees every issue as an opportunity for division and trailing people up instead of doing theirjob, sorting out the backlogs and getting the country operating smoothly again. that

and getting the country operating smoothly again.— and getting the country operating smoothl aaain. ., a ., , ., ., smoothly again. pat mcfadden, shadow chief secretary — smoothly again. pat mcfadden, shadow chief secretary to _ smoothly again. pat mcfadden, shadow chief secretary to the _ smoothly again. pat mcfadden, shadow chief secretary to the treasury, - chief secretary to the treasury, thank you for your time. i'm joined by kate bell, head of economics and employment rights at the tuc — the trades union congress. good morning and thank you for joining us on bbc news. we are told borisjohnson will be at cabinet this morning calling for a sensible compromise on pay, why do you think it has not been possible to reach a sensible compromise before getting to this point? the sensible compromise before getting to this point?— to this point? the rail unions have been calling _ to this point? the rail unions have been calling for— to this point? the rail unions have been calling for a _ to this point? the rail unions have been calling for a negotiated - been calling for a negotiated compromise, they want to be around the negotiating table. as we understand the government is blocking those talks. you heard mick lynch perhaps this morning calling on grant shapps to come to the negotiating table to help unblock the talks, his has not been willing to do that and we need to see everybody working to resolve these talks, which is what the unions want, of course.— talks, which is what the unions want, of course. ., ., ,, ., ., want, of course. how do you do that? we have heard _ want, of course. how do you do that? we have heard the _ want, of course. how do you do that? we have heard the rail— want, of course. how do you do that? we have heard the rail delivery - we have heard the rail delivery group talk about the need for

reform, either alongside or before any significant movement on pay. this is a negotiation and if you listen to what rail leaders say, of course they want to see a modern, effective railway and have been working to develop throughout the pandemic. you might grant shapps describing rail workers as heroes. they are working to deliver that, they want to be about negotiation but unfortunately it looks like the government is blocking back through a desire to pick a fight with the rail unions rather than deliver a decent pay rise for workers and an effective railway for everybody. you are talkin: effective railway for everybody. you are talking about the desire to pick are talking about the desire to pick a fight but the government says if these wage demands are too high, it will lead to inflation spiralling even higher and in the long run that will not be good for anyone, so what do you say to that point? t do will not be good for anyone, so what do you say to that point?— do you say to that point? i do not think there _ do you say to that point? i do not think there is _ do you say to that point? i do not think there is evidence _ do you say to that point? i do not think there is evidence that -

do you say to that point? i do not think there is evidence that pay l do you say to that point? i do not| think there is evidence that pay is causing inflation, most of this inflation is coming from energy price rises and we have to remember workers have not had a real pay rise for about a decade now, they are £20,000 worse off than if pay had kept up with inflation. there is no evidence whatsoever that soaring pay, and lecture at the rail workers have a pay freeze for the last two years, is contributing to inflation —— and let's remember the rail workers had a pay freeze. we have failed to build the high wage economy that the prime minister promised. that is what we want, the railway workers once, workers across the economy want. they know they need high pay to deal with the cost of living rising, there is no evidence of that happening. d0 of living rising, there is no evidence of that happening. do you think other sectors _ evidence of that happening. do you think other sectors will _ evidence of that happening. do you think other sectors will go - evidence of that happening. do you think other sectors will go on - think other sectors will go on strike in the weeks and months ahead? it is being mooted, to push for what the tuc calls payjustice. we have a number of pay negotiations coming up, some in the public at

seven the private sector and what we want to see is decent pay rises that help people deal with the rising cost of living. we have nurses and teachers saying they need to go to food banks and they cannot perpetual in the tank, it has been difficult over the winter to turn the heating on. we know that pay settlements has to be part of resolving that about is what everybody is looking for, most people support them. kate bell from the tuc, _ most people support them. kate bell from the tuc, thank _ most people support them. kate bell from the tuc, thank you _ most people support them. kate bell from the tuc, thank you for- most people support them. kate bell from the tuc, thank you forjoining i from the tuc, thank you forjoining us. couple of your comments on this story, barry says i am working from home today and thursday, not sure how easy it will be to get in tomorrow but i fully support the strike, people need to be aware the rmt workers are on strike at many yellow pages, as to train drivers, and many of those train drivers belong to a different union —— the rmt workers are on strike and many are low—paid. neville says i have had to change plans completely but i fully back the unions, 3% is

derisory, every day the drivers had the likes of passengers in the hands, but it is not the drivers who are the focus of this strike action, it is other workers like track maintenance workers, cleaning staff and so forth, but it is all connected. keep your comments coming into us today. let me know if you are managing to work from home, if you manage to get into work and how tricky your journey was, you can contact me on twitter. some other news this morning. the governor of luhansk in eastern ukraine says the russian army has gathered enough reserves for a large scale offensive in the region. it comes as ukraine's president, volodymyr zelensky predicted moscow would escalate attacks ahead of an eu summit later this week. let's cross live to kyiv now and speak to our correspondentjoe inwood. hello. what intelligence has been

gathered about these reserves being put together by russian forces for what has been described as a large—scale offensive? what has been described as a large-scale offensive?- what has been described as a large-scale offensive? what we understand _ large-scale offensive? what we understand they _ large-scale offensive? what we understand they are _ large-scale offensive? what we understand they are trying - large-scale offensive? what we understand they are trying to i large-scale offensive? what we | understand they are trying to do large-scale offensive? what we i understand they are trying to do was push through ukrainian lines in the city of severodonetsk and try to encircle, coming specifically from the north, although in that situation they had been repelled, but in severodonetsk, the real focus of the russian invasion for the last few weeks, they are really pushing ukrainian forces back and back. they have taken most of the city now, the ukrainians have been pushed into one chemical plant where the last ukrainian defenders are holding out along with a number of civilians sheltering. the governor of the region you mentioned have said this fight is getting increasingly difficult and the russians are shelling heavily the only route into

and out of severodonetsk, a highway that runs from the town could lysychansk that runs from the town could lysycha nsk next to that runs from the town could lysychansk next to severodonetsk into the rest of the donbas, so the russians closing devices on the last ukrainian forces. brute russians closing devices on the last ukrainian forces.— ukrainian forces. we have been talkin: ukrainian forces. we have been talking about _ ukrainian forces. we have been talking about severodonetsk i ukrainian forces. we have been| talking about severodonetsk for ukrainian forces. we have been i talking about severodonetsk for the last few weeks now and this particular operation, is this the russians deliberately going slowly or is it the response by the ukrainians? give us a sense of the relative forces at play? t ukrainians? give us a sense of the relative forces at play?— relative forces at play? i think it very much _ relative forces at play? i think it very much depends _ relative forces at play? i think it very much depends on - relative forces at play? i think it very much depends on who i relative forces at play? i think it very much depends on who you | relative forces at play? i think it i very much depends on who you listen to. it is worth pointing out to viewers that it is very difficult to get information out of severodonetsk, all the live phone lines are down so we have only had the reports from each side. the russians say they are going slowly and methodically, the ukrainian say they are fighting tooth and nail and inflicting heavy casualties, i'm sure that truth is somewhere between

the two. the russians�* suggestion they are taking their time does not really hold that much water, i think in the past they have tried to do things as quickly as they can but that attempt failed and i think probably now the reason they are going slowly is because they are being held up and when they try to push quickly they are suffering very heavy losses. the way they like to operators with heavy artillery, panting the defensive positions of the ukrainians into submission, but that takes time, they are in basements and bunkers and it is hard to know you have cleared an area if the people are underground taking cover, so i think they are being forced into going slowly, which is the ukrainian strategy. the ukrainians need time to get their reserves change, to get western equipment to the front, so they are trying to delay the russians as long as they can and the longer this goes on the more the scales are tipped in favour of the ukrainians. itrai’itt

on the more the scales are tipped in favour of the ukrainians.— favour of the ukrainians. will there be prospect — favour of the ukrainians. will there be prospect of— favour of the ukrainians. will there be prospect of any _ favour of the ukrainians. will there be prospect of any safe _ favour of the ukrainians. will there be prospect of any safe passage i favour of the ukrainians. will there | be prospect of any safe passage for those civilians still in severodonetsk? t those civilians still in severodonetsk? ~ ., ., , severodonetsk? i think that time has robabl severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed. _ severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed, there _ severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed, there was - severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed, there was talk i severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed, there was talk of i severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed, there was talk of a | probably passed, there was talk of a humanitarian corridor unilaterally set up by the russians but the ukrainians and british intelligence said this too, the ukrainians have said this too, the ukrainians have said that was a ploy, an attempt to change the battlefield situation, to pretend they would offer safe passage and then take those civilians into russian territory and use it to get military advantage over the ukrainians. to have safe passage, a humanitarian corridor, you really need cooperation between both sides, trusting both sides and that has been in very short supply and i do not think we will be seeing any civilians come out of the azov plant before the fighting is over, but it is difficult to say anything with certainty. to but it is difficult to say anything with certainty.—

but it is difficult to say anything with certainty. to touch on food securi , with certainty. to touch on food security, president _ with certainty. to touch on food security, president zelensky i with certainty. to touch on food | security, president zelensky has been addressing the african union and has called africa a hostage of russia�*s war. it�*s their only movement on getting that grain out of ukraine to where it is needed? we are of ukraine to where it is needed? - are talking about 20 million tonnes struck in ukrainian silos and formal harvested soon, they can�*t get it out, the black sea is blockaded by the russians and the whole area is mind too, mind put that to assist any russian invasion over the sea, so you need careful negotiation. we understand talks are taking place, the turks are trying to facilitate something but it does not look like there will be much movement. this is a real diplomatic issue with both sides blaming the others but i think most international opinion seems to be that it is the sea blockade behind this, although the russians are saying it is not fault and it is

the fault of western sanctions. thank you very much, joe inwood in kiel. —— in kyiv. the russian journalist and nobel peace laureate dmitry muratov has auctioned his nobel medalforjust over $103 million — that�*s around £81; million. mr muratov said all the money will go to help refugees from the war in ukraine. he won the nobel peace prize alongside the journalist maria ressa last year. mark lobel reports. thinking about it, at 68. new bidder, completely new guy. bidding for a better life for ukraine�*s war refugees. then, ladies and gentlemen, done! over $100 million. a staggering $103 million for the 23 carat gold nobel prize medal won last year by russian journalist dmitry muratov for defending freedom of expression in russia. he�*d already donated the $500,000 prize money to charity. translation: my country invaded the territory i of another state, ukraine.

there are now 15.5 million refugees, and how one must deal with this is completely incomprehensible. we thought for a long time about what we could do, what each individual could do, and we thought that everyone should give away that which is dear to them, important to them. in march, muratov halted his independent newspaper�*s operations in russia after a warning from moscow over its russia—ukraine war coverage. the next month, he was attacked with red paint laced with solvent acetone aboard a train in russia. undeterred, he held this sale, partly to inspire others to sell their personal mementos too. though all is not lost. translation: i still have this one, have a look. i it's chocolate. so i have a souvenir. and the most important emotion? well, look, out of 15.5 million refugees, 40% are minors, of these 5.2 million

to 5.3 million need help. how can you live with that everyday? children displaced by the war in ukraine will benefit from this record amount for this medal now heading to unicef, paid for by a mystery bidder as heritage auctions, which conducted the sale, has not revealed who it is. wow, that�*s a lot of dough. mark lobel, bbc news. people with hiv can now have full careers in the british armed forces. until today, potential recruits living with the virus had been banned from joining, while serving members were not deployed overseas. the ministry of defence says the change in policy recognises advances in the management, treatment and prevention of hiv. the president of france, emmanuel macron, is meeting political opponents today after he and his allies lost a majority in the national assembly. mr macron is now under pressure to secure support from rivals to fulfil his

government�*s reform agenda. but neither marine le pen�*s far—right, norjean—luc melenchon�*s left—green alliance say they�*re keen to work with him. a floating restaurant that was a famous hong kong landmark has sunk, just days after it was towed away from the harbour where it operated for nearly 50 years. thejumbo restaurant capsized in the south china sea while on its way to an undisclosed location. nobody was hurt. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. for many parts of england and wales today, it�*s going to be dry, sunny and warm. but for scotland and northern ireland you�*ve got a bit more cloud fringed in to northern england through the course of this morning and still producing the odd spot of rain. but it will tend to fade and we�*ll see some sunny intervals develop behind it with just one or two showers. now in the sunshine in england and wales, we�*re looking at 19 to 25 degrees.

but in scotland and northern ireland, more like 12 to about 18. through this evening and overnight there�*ll be a lot of clearer skies around. low cloud, mist and murk moving in across the north and west of scotland and into northern ireland, some patchy mist as well, which will melt away quite quickly tomorrow morning — and our overnight lows nine to about 12 or 13 degrees. so the mist clearing, a lot of sunshine around. still this low cloud, mist and murk plaguing parts of the north west of scotland and the north coast of northern ireland, but it will be largely dry, a little bit warmer with temperatures 22 in aberdeen and 27 in the south. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: the biggest rail strike in three decades is under way — the first of three affecting england, scotland and wales. fewer than 20% of trains are expected to run today. with last ditch negotations failing, the prime minister accuses the unions of harming the very people they claim to be helping. the unions say the government

blocked negotiations. the government could have made a move to settle this dispute, instead, they are escalating it. the lies they are telling about railway workers and the railway industry are outrageous. in other news — a senior ukrainian official says russian forces have almost captured the strategic city of severodonetsk — with ukrainian forces holding on to just one factory. a russian nobel peace laureate auctions his medalfor £81; million to raise funds for children displaced by the war in ukraine. and to mark his 40th birthday new photos are released of prince william selling the big issue — we look back at his four decades in the spotlight. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here�*s jon watson. good morning. ryan giggs has resigned as wales manager with immediate effect. he stepped away from his role almost 18 months ago after being arrested. he was later charged

with using controlling behaviour and assaulting his ex—girlfriend — something he denies. in a statement, he said he didn�*t �*want the country�*s preparations for the world cup to be affected�* by his trial which begins in august. rob page took over as interim wales manager and has led them to a first world cup finals since 1958. team england has named their squad for this summer�*s commonwealth games — but a familiar face will be missing in birmingham, the olympic champion tom daley. matty lee, who won gold with daley in tokyo last year in the men�*s synchronised 10m platform event, has been named in the 18—strong squad. daley also missed the british championships last month. olmpians jack laugher and dan goodfellow are also included. the games get under way onjuly 28th. world rugby have announced that elite players will face an increased minimum of 12 days out of action following concussions. from next month, the majority of players diagnosed with concussion are set to miss their next match.

it follows the latest rugby—specific research by world rugby�*s independent concussion working group. currently, a player can play a week after a failed head injury assessment if they pass return—to—play protocols. as swimming takes the step to ban trangender athletes if they�*ve been through any stage of make puberty — rugby league has now bar transgender players from women�*s international matches. international rugby league said it wanted to "balance the individual�*s right to participate against perceived risk to other participants". the move comes as a number of sports are considering transgender inclusion. world athletics president lord coe said his sport could be next as lots of sports battle with trans inclusion. if it is a judgment between inclusion and fairness, we will always fall down on the side of fairness, that is for me, it is non—negotiable and the integrity of women�*s sport is really important here. we will follow the science on this

and if we think there are events or distances or disciplines that are being unfairly impacted, we will of course look at there was again, in the light of that science. she will be the star draw as serena williams makes her return to tennis at eastbourne today. the 23—time grand slam winner, who is now 40—years—old, has not played since retirning from the opening round of wimbledon of last year. she plays in the doubles this evening alongside the world number three ons jabeur, who said it�*s been hard to keep their planned partnership a secret. yesterday, britain�*s jodie burrage enjoyed the biggest win of her career. the 23—year—old wild card came from behind to beat a top 100 player and plays the top seed paula badosa next. there was also a victory for british number two harriet dart. while jack draper beat americanjenson brooksby, which means he�*ll face diego schwartzman for a place in the quarter—finals. draper suffered second—round defeats at surbiton and queen�*s recently

but was in form at eastbourne. you can keep up today on all the action in eastbourne, where britons dan evans and katie boulter play later today and across the wimbledon qualifiers. on the bbc sport website. let�*s retun to our top story — and half of britain�*s rail lines will be closed during strikes this week in a dispute about pay and conditions. on the lines that remain open, only a fifth of services will run. let�*s speak to our political correspondent iain watson in westminster. good morning. what more can we expect to hearfrom good morning. what more can we expect to hear from the prime minister today? expect to hear from the prime ministertoday? he expect to hear from the prime minister today? he has got a cabinet meeting? tie minister today? he has got a cabinet meetin: ? ., , ., , ., minister today? he has got a cabinet meetinr? ., , ., meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meetin: meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meeting this — meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meeting this morning. _ meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meeting this morning. i _ meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meeting this morning. i am - meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meeting this morning. i am sure i meeting? he does, he has a cabinet meeting this morning. i am sure he| meeting this morning. i am sure he will get broad agreement from the cabinet that the strikes, in his view, are unacceptable. but there is

a message on the pain more generally, certainly his view used to be, he wanted a high skill, high wage economy, but currently the high wage economy, but currently the high wage bit of it in the short term, in the short term at least, he is rolling back from a little bit because he thinks inflation busting increasing demands will further fuel inflation and to get it under control he is talking about sensible compromises on pay. in other words, no pay freeze but the clear indication is less than inflation. i suspect we will hear both from the prime minister and other cabinet ministers as the day goes on. clearly, what they are suggesting, it is a potential solution to this dispute, but it is the trade unions who are engaging on it and it is the labour party too close to the trade unions and there is a political slanging match at westminster because they are saying the government is guilty of a failure of leadership and they should be joining the negotiations directly

with the trade unions. the government said it would not do that, grant shapps, the transport secretary made it very clear, he said it was a stunt, a simple bit of theatre and would make no difference to the eventual outcome. if you look at some of the contracts the government have signed with the train operating companies in the post—pandemic, some of these contracts would have given them a management fee to run the service on their behalf. it makes it clear that when there are industrial disputes, these companies cannot sign off new terms of employment without prior written consent by the secretary of state and also, that the overall strategy during industrial disputes, the direction of that is set by the department for transport. the government would say in terms of the detailed negotiations, it is down to the employees. they would say that ultimately, the government is the employer of all public service workers, but in terms of the detail of the dispute, they still believe

it is the train operating companies and network rail who should be leading in negotiations. so we have got that bouncing around as well. but there is a further complicating factor, at least for the labour party. clearly, they don�*t want to be blamed by the government. king up or encouraging industrial action. t or encouraging industrial action. i did ask pat nat faxon about that, the chief secretary to the treasury earlier. i said the chief secretary to the treasury earlier. isaid is the chief secretary to the treasury earlier. i said is labour concerned about giving the conservatives stick to beat them with? he said it is not that we are worried about, but i asked him about kate osborne, parliamentary private secretary, who says she will be on the picket line today in direct opposition to what keir starmer has asked. he asked members of the shadow cabinet not to go to picket lines. this is a problem for labour, too, isn�*t it? it is, kate osborne, as you mention, the mostjunior rank of the labour party from the bench. she has

tweeted a picture of a picket line this morning in the past hour. it looks like she is very much on that picket line and there are some more labour mps doing similar. i asked a labour mps doing similar. i asked a labour spokesman about this about half an hour ago and he said at this stage we are waiting and seeing what people do and taking advice before deciding on any action. they are not yet calling for these people to resign but they are reaching the advice. the labour leadership says they did not issue advice and to stay off the picket lines, so as not to be seen on the side of the rail unions, but the customers. they are not criticising the rmt but criticising the government for not reaching an agreement. but this may backfire for labour because the party�*s biggest trade union funder, the unite trade union, its leader,

sharon graham said in cutting comments, the labour party cannot hide from leadership and in effect, they have to decide if they are on they have to decide if they are on the side of the workers over bad bosses. she holds huge purse strings when it comes to labour funding, but the question is whether there will be a financial consequence to the labour party if the labour leadership are ambiguous in their support for the rail workers who are currently on strike. ok. support for the rail workers who are currently on strike.— currently on strike. ok, iain watson. — currently on strike. ok, iain watson, thank _ currently on strike. ok, iain watson, thank you - currently on strike. ok, iain watson, thank you very i currently on strike. ok, iain i watson, thank you very much for currently on strike. ok, iain - watson, thank you very much for that at westminster. a line we are hearing from the prime minister, he has warned commuters they must be prepared to stay the course in the face of what he called the unnecessary aggravation caused by rail strikes. thatjust in from the prime minister. let me read out a couple more of your comments on this. someone says, i will be supporting the rmt union and will walk down to my local train station to show my support. this from isaac

who says, it is a season of strikes in the nice, sunny weather, how convenient. isaac says societal change is needed rather than tooth and nail mini fights. i guess the workers on strike might not see this as a mini fight, it certainly is the biggest rail strike in several decades. but really good to get your comments coming in. keep them coming into me. how is this affecting you today? are you working from home? do you support the strike or not? you can do that on twitter, use the hashtag bbc your questions. let�*s stay with the theme of public support is like for the strike so indeed perhaps people are not supporting them? i�*m joined now by political research manager and associate director at yougov, patrick english. this is really interesting and it is good to have you with us, the strike has been pitched by some people as the strikers versus other workers.

what does your polling tell us about what the public think of it? good mornin: , what the public think of it? good morning. we _ what the public think of it? good morning, we have _ what the public think of it? good morning, we have been - what the public think of it? (limp. morning, we have been asking the public throughoutjune what they think of a potential strike actions and strikes in general. what we found is the public generally supportive of the rail workers and underground workers going on strike but not a lot of these strikes this week are supported by the british public. half of them tend to oppose the strikes but over a third support the strikes but over a third support the strikes. the british public are very split and is in principle while they are ok with strikes, these particular strikes tend to be more on the side of them thinking they shouldn�*t be going ahead. that on the side of them thinking they shouldn't be going ahead.- shouldn't be going ahead. that is interesting. _ shouldn't be going ahead. that is interesting, generally _ shouldn't be going ahead. that is interesting, generally supportive | shouldn't be going ahead. that is l interesting, generally supportive of the principle of people�*s ability to go on strike, but slightly less so when it has a direct impact on them? that is probably down to the crux of the matter, yes. a lot of issues around commuters and people getting in and out of work and how it might

be affecting people, but in the face of that, over a third of people are likely to say they support the strikes. what we also find is this clinical diagnosis, the 2019 conservative voters of the most unsupportive of the strikes, where as labour voters from 2019 tend to be more in favour of the strikes. interesting political dynamics and thatis interesting political dynamics and that is where we see the dividing lines coming into this issue. you have done _ lines coming into this issue. you have done some _ lines coming into this issue. you have done some polling of what people�*s understanding of what the conservative and labour positions on the strike are, tell us about that, patrick? ~ ., ., ,~ the strike are, tell us about that, patrick? ~ ., ., , , . patrick? we have asked the public what they think _ patrick? we have asked the public what they think labour's _ patrick? we have asked the public what they think labour's position l what they think labour�*s position and the conservative�*s positions on the strikes are. the public do know that the conservatives are against the strike, not surprising at all. however, the public are very, very unsure about labour�*s position. over 40% people don�*t know what labour�*s position is on those strikes and

those who do give us an answer it is very split between those who think they support the strikes and those who think they oppose the strikes. the ambiguous support given by the labour leadership is filtering into the public now who don�*t know where labour stand on this issue. the public now who don't know where labour stand on this issue.— labour stand on this issue. patrick enulish, labour stand on this issue. patrick english, interesting _ labour stand on this issue. patrick english, interesting to _ labour stand on this issue. patrick english, interesting to hear- labour stand on this issue. patrick english, interesting to hear about| english, interesting to hear about that polling. steve montgomery is chair of rail delivery group which is made up of train operating companies, the rail supply group and infrastructure owners network rail. he�*s also managing director of first rail. thank you for your time today as well. good to have you with us. give visual assessment of the strike so far now that we are actually here, did you think it would get this far? we were always hoping it wouldn�*t get this far. we worked with the trade unions to try and prevent this happening. we have always said we have been talking to the trade unions for a long period of time,

with the pandemic and the impact it would have on the industry and it was disappointing the rmt decided to ballot its members and call the strike action. but we have been working hard to try and avoid it. you have been saying the only way to resolve this is to deal with reform alongside the questions over pay. what reform specifically are you talking about? we what reform specifically are you talking about?— what reform specifically are you talking about? we are looking to modernise working _ talking about? we are looking to modernise working practices. i talking about? we are looking to| modernise working practices. we talking about? we are looking to i modernise working practices. we have got dated working practices going back numbers of years that make it difficult to work within the modern railway now. things have changed from how people travelled in the 19705, 805 and 90s, from how people travelled in the 19705, 805 and 905, where sunday was never seen as a busy travelling day for the public. it is the opposite, it is one of the busiest days we have but we have working practices that say staff can volunteer if they want to work on a sunday. that makes it very difficult to run a train service and make sure the public can

turn up and reliably no trains will be there. other areas of, we have seen people multi—skilling, one person on the gate, one person on the platform, two of them cannot do the platform, two of them cannot do the samejob, so how the platform, two of them cannot do the same job, so how do we multi—skilled people so we can get greater flexibility from staff. share greater flexibility from staff. are ou greater flexibility from staff. are you talking _ greater flexibility from staff. are you talking about job losses wrapped you talking aboutjob losses wrapped up you talking aboutjob losses wrapped up in this reform? because that is what the unions are saying, under the banner of reform comesjob losses? the banner of reform comes 'ob losses? ~ ., ., ., ., , losses? we have got to modernise the indust . losses? we have got to modernise the industry- so. — losses? we have got to modernise the industry- so. yes? _ losses? we have got to modernise the industry. so, yes? it _ losses? we have got to modernise the industry. so, yes? it is _ losses? we have got to modernise the industry. so, yes? it is not _ losses? we have got to modernise the industry. so, yes? it is notjust- industry. so, yes? it is not “ust about job fl industry. so, yes? it is not “ust about job losses, i industry. so, yes? it is not “ust about job losses, we i industry. so, yes? it is not “ust about job losses, we are i industry. so, yes? it is not “ust about job losses, we are a i industry. so, yes? it is notjust about job losses, we are a bigl aboutjob losses, we are a big industry, we employ over 110,000 people within the industry and we can redeploy people, retrain people and move people round about. we are posing to offer voluntary severance. we believe a number of people can leave the industry, get into new jobs and have a different type of career within the industry. we have still got to go through that process

before we then have to understand where people have got to lose jobs. where does the subject of discussions around pay come into this? are you saying to the unions the reform has to happen first before you engage on pay, tell us? reform is something we have been talking about for 18 months. we had £16 billion worth of government funding during this period. we have been talking to the trade unions on how to reduce costs to the industry, reduce the cost to the taxpayer. those discussions have been ongoing. now, how do we try to move forward, try and get sensible reform in that allows us to give people a pay increase? we recognise the economic situation and we want to give staff a pay increase, but we have to get reform in at the same time. we have to hammer— reform in at the same time. we have to hammer this _ reform in at the same time. we have to hammer this point _ reform in at the same time. we have to hammer this point home, - reform in at the same time. we have to hammer this point home, we're i reform in at the same time. we have. to hammer this point home, we're not to hammer this point home, we�*re not talking about train drivers, we are talking about train drivers, we are talking about train drivers, we are talking about people doing jobs maintaining tracks, cleaners on the

rail and so forth, whose real wages in the face of rising inflation, pitch to be at 11% by this autumn, are clearly falling. so why can�*t you come forward with a pay offer thatis you come forward with a pay offer that is acceptable or at least a step on the road to an acceptable pay offer in tandem with discussions about reform? taste pay offer in tandem with discussions about reform?— pay offer in tandem with discussions about reform? we did that yesterday, we offered to — about reform? we did that yesterday, we offered to plus _ about reform? we did that yesterday, we offered to plus one _ about reform? we did that yesterday, we offered to plus one pay _ about reform? we did that yesterday, we offered to plus one pay increase. l we offered to plus one pay increase. yesterday? that was awfully late in the day? tt yesterday? that was awfully late in the da ? . , �* yesterday? that was awfully late in theda? �* , ., the day? it wasn't the employees who called the strike _ the day? it wasn't the employees who called the strike action, _ the day? it wasn't the employees who called the strike action, we _ the day? it wasn't the employees who called the strike action, we wanted i called the strike action, we wanted the rmt, we wanted the reform early and they have been discussing it with us, but they haven�*t come forward with meaningful reform. so they then called industrial action to put additional pressure on it. there is a lot of he said, she said going on here, frankly. the

travelling public would like to see both sides working sensibly together. each side is accusing the other of not dealing with this in a timely way or not engaging properly. just to come back to the pay offer you made yesterday, i heard you doing an interview yesterday morning and at that stage there wasn�*t a pay offer on the table, so why did you wait until the eve of the strikes to come forward with this pay offer? going back to last week, we had discussions with the rmt last thursday, we had numbers of discussions with rmt, notjust last thursday but a number of days last week. we spoke to them about reform and areas they could start to get comfortable, agree the principles of it. they did start to turn around and say that there were areas of principle they could accept. we then had a pay offer to them and we said we would go away and work up a pay offer with them on thursday evening and we spoke to them on friday again saying we were doing over the weekend. we spoke to them yesterday

morning and we presented that to them. obviously, they rejected it. t them. obviously, they rejected it. i am sure we will be discussing this further, but for the moment, thank you very much. today marks a big birthday for the duke of cambridge — he turns a0 years old. it comes at a time of increasing responsibility for prince william — as our royal correspondent, daniela relph, reports. for a0 years, the major landmarks in his life have happened in front of the cameras. from holidays with his parents and younger brother. to photo opportunities for the first day at school. through the heartbreaking sadness and courage he showed at his mother�*s funeral. in contrast to the happiness a few years later, of university graduation at st andrews, alongside his wife to be. all defining moments, all played out in public. they have allowed us to see how,

at 40, a once cautious, contained prince has become a more open, confident future king. and his work here will have helped that. as william wales, he was a helicopter pilot at the east anglian air ambulance. what the prince got here was a clear slice of normality. he would make a brew, i have had many of his cups of tea. and he would take his turn and he would get involved in washing the aircraft, cleaning the aircraft, everything that a pilot does. to mark the duke of cambridge�*s 40th birthday, these photos have been released, rather than formal, official portraits. previously unseen images taken a couple of weeks ago when william went out to sell the big issue. homelessness will now be a priority for him. a cause officials say is close to his heart, as it was to his mother�*s. back in 2009, william slept out on the streets of london for a night,

with the centrepoint chief executive seyi obakin, to help understand the experience of homelessness. 13 years on, he�*s actively involved. he is definitely part of the story for us. but i think more importantly, we are part of the story for him. he has been a patron since 2005, that�*s 17 years. i don�*t see that he will then suddenly say, "actually, i�*m not interested in this any more". not for any other reason other than he�*s invested in the problem, and he�*s invested in trying to find the solution for those who are affected by the problem. and long may it continue, is what i say. alongside homelessness, expect to see a greater focus on mental health. the former arsenal and england footballer tony adams, who has had his own struggles with addiction, has worked with william in this area. he wasn'tjust kind of going

through the motions and saying, "i'm turning up, this is a piece of work for me, i need to do this, president of the fa, i'mjust here," blah, blah, blah. he really cared, and you can't really fake that. on a personal level, william has seemed more settled. his marriage to kate has more stability and support. fatherhood has also suited him. their three children were some of the stars of the show over the platinum jubilee weekend, although future public appearances will be carefully timed and managed. and his focus on his family and their happiness and privacy will see a big move for them this summer when they leave london to set up home in windsor. the move here has been driven by personal reasons. behind the castle walls, there is greater freedom for the family than they currently have in london. the children will go to school nearby. but it also puts william closer to his grandmother, at a time when he is stepping up his official duties.

as he reaches 40, the one area of discontent is the ongoing fallout with his brother harry. the breakdown of that relationship remains unresolved. i do know from sources very close to william that he is still very hurt about some of the things that his brother and his sister—in—law have said and done. the days of not even talking to each other are a thing of the past, but that said, there�*s not the closeness there once was and i think there�*s probably quite a few bridges to be rebuilt before they gets to that stage. but there is every hope that there will be a point when these once unbreakable bond of brothers, when they were so close, will be close once again. william knows that the years ahead will be filled with significant change. but for now, at 40, he is settled in both his public role in his private life. daniela relph, bbc news. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. over the next couple of days,

the weather is going to turn warmer for most of us. but this dry weather isn�*t necessarily going to last. at the moment, we�*ve got this ridge of high pressure across us, keeping things fairly settled. but as we head towards the latter part of this week, low pressure will take over and things turn more unsettled. so at the moment, we�*ve got a weak weather front moving across northern england, clearing northern ireland, you can see the cloud associated with it. this odd spot of rain, but that will fade, we�*ll see some brighter skies develop behind, so some sunny intervals. but for the rest of england and all of wales, it�*s going to be dry, sunny and warm with highs up to about 25 degrees and just some fair weather cloud developing through the afternoon. now, pollen levels today are high or very high across much of the country, low or moderate across the northern half of scotland. as we head through the evening and overnight then, still this cloud coming in from the atlantic across north west scotland and into northern ireland, but clear skies for the rest of the uk. it�*s not going to be a cold night, most of us staying in double figures, but we could well see some patchy mist form around

about northwest england. that won�*t last into tomorrow, it will clear quite quickly in the sunshine and there�*ll be a lot of sunshine once again tomorrow for england, wales and also eastern scotland. in the north west we�*re more prone to this low cloud, some mist and murk. but even so, the east of northern ireland should also see some sunshine as we go through the course of the day. and here we�*re looking at highs in belfast of 19 degrees, but top temperatures tomorrow are likely to be around about 27, possibly even 28. then on thursday, we�*ve got this system coming up through the day from the continent. that�*s likely to bring in some showers initially across southern england, but it will be pushing steadily northwards as we go through the course of the day. so we start with the cloud in the north and the west, some spots of rain, a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine. then the showers initially in the channel islands start to push that bit further north as we go through the day and some of those could be heavy and also thundery. temperatures ranging from 13 in lerwick to 26, possibly 27 as we push down

towards london and also cardiff. then into the weekend, as low pressure comes in, we see a return to windier conditions, some showers or longer spells of rain and it is eventually going to feel cooler as those temperatures start to slide.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. uk�*s biggest rail strike in three decades is under way — the first of three affecting england, scotland and wales. fewer than 20% of trains are expected to run today. with last ditch negotations failing, borisjohnson accuses the unions of harming the very people they claim to be helping. the unions say the government blocked negotiations. we need to get ready to stay the course, — we need to get ready to stay the course, to — we need to get ready to stay the course, to stay the course, because these _ course, to stay the course, because these reforms, these improvements in these reforms, these improvements in the way— these reforms, these improvements in the way we _ these reforms, these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public — the government could have made a move to settle this dispute but instead they are escalating. the lies they are telling about railway

workers and the railway industry are outrageous.