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 publie — 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. london euston station is eerily quiet this morning. some passengers are hoping to make a journey but there is widespread disruption across the rail network. how is the strike affecting you? are you working from home or did you have a trickyjounrey to work? do you support the strikes or not? we'd like to hear your thoughts. get in touch with me on twitter @annitabbc and use the #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 medalfor £81i—million, to raise funds for children displaced by the war in ukraine. a former senior united nations official calls for an independent panel to investigate allegations

of sexual abuse and corruption in the organisation. he attacks me in the elevator, he comes at me all of a sudden. i pleaded with him to stop, to let me 90, pleaded with him to stop, to let me go, and so, but he was very insistent and he was pulling my arm. 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 hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. the biggest rail strike in the uk for 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 called the union action �*wrong' and warned commuters will face �*unnecessary aggravation�* caused by rail strikes�*. 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. it is ridiculous. i work for the nhs, i have to be there on time and i get it, things are tough right now but i think we should all fulfil our duty. it but i think we should all fulfil our du . , , ., ., duty. it is quiet this morning, a lot of peeple — duty. it is quiet this morning, a lot of people that _ duty. it is quiet this morning, a lot of people that aren't - duty. it is quiet this morning, a lot of people that aren't here. i duty. it is quiet this morning, a . lot of people that aren't here. that would _ lot of people that aren't here. that would normally be here, catching the train for— would normally be here, catching the train for work. we are having to close _ train for work. we are having to close early~ _ train for work. we are having to close early-— train for work. we are having to close earl . �* ., _ , close early. i've got sympathy with them, i realise _ close early. i've got sympathy with them, i realise it's _ close early. i've got sympathy with them, i realise it's challenging - close early. i've got sympathy with them, i realise it's challenging for| them, i realise it's challenging for everyone. — them, i realise it's challenging for everyone, everyone _ them, i realise it's challenging for everyone, everyone would - them, i realise it's challenging for everyone, everyone would like - them, i realise it's challenging for everyone, everyone would like a i them, i realise it's challenging for. everyone, everyone would like a pay rise, everyone, everyone would like a pay rise. everyone — everyone, everyone would like a pay rise. everyone has _ everyone, everyone would like a pay rise, everyone has the _ everyone, everyone would like a pay rise, everyone has the threat - everyone, everyone would like a pay rise, everyone has the threat of - rise, everyone has the threat of redundancy— rise, everyone has the threat of redundancy and _ rise, everyone has the threat of redundancy and job _ rise, everyone has the threat of redundancy and job cuts - rise, everyone has the threat of redundancy and job cuts after . rise, everyone has the threat of i redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic — redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic this_ redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic. this week _ redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic. this week will - redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic. this week will be - redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic. this week will be a - redundancy and job cuts after the l pandemic. this week will be a real dent to _ pandemic. this week will be a real dent to the — pandemic. this week will be areal dent to the economy— pandemic. this week will be a real. dent to the economy unfortunately. 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. network rail says services need to be modernised. something the government agrees with. the reality is, i've mentioned _ government agrees with. the reality is, i've mentioned the _ government agrees with. the reality is, i've mentioned the salaries, - government agrees with. the reality is, i've mentioned the salaries, the | is, i�*ve mentioned the salaries, the retirement age of 62 for most people working on the railways and clearly, employers need to put that up, they are offering 65. you�*ve got working practices including in many cases on many train companies, a four day working week, and flexibility said mean people cannot, for example if they are working at a terminal, at network rail, moved to the terminal next to them because the union was saying you cannot. we are living in a modern world with antiquated work practices for the railways. the a modern world with antiquated work practices for the railways.— practices for the railways. the rmt sa s the practices for the railways. the rmt says the reforms _ practices for the railways. the rmt says the reforms mean _ practices for the railways. the rmt says the reforms mean job - practices for the railways. the rmt says the reforms mean job cuts - practices for the railways. the rmt| says the reforms mean job cuts and workers need a pay rise to reflect the increased cost of living. it has rejected a pay offer worth 3%. i don't think sunday will be the end don�*t think sunday will be the end of it from what i see, if we can

negotiate a deal, we will but otherwise we will look at what campaigns we will put on going forward and rethink other unions willjoin us and more broadly in society. willjoin us and more broadly in socie . . willjoin us and more broadly in socie. ., , willjoin us and more broadly in socie . ., , society. train companies said they were very disappointed _ society. train companies said they were very disappointed and - society. train companies said they were very disappointed and called | society. train companies said they i were very disappointed and called on the rmt to carry on talking. the unions said it was open to discussions that could settle the dispute. for now, rail passengers across britain face a week of disruption. borisjohnson has been speaking to the cabinet in the past hour — let�*s hear what he had to say. cabinet, good morning. iwant to cabinet, good morning. i want to say something about the strikes today causing significant disruption and inconvenience up and down the country making it difficult for people to get to work, risking people to get to work, risking people appointments, making it difficult for kids to sit exams, all sorts of unnecessary aggravation this is going to cause and i want to

emphasise to everybody this morning why think those strikes are so wrong, so wrong, and so unnecessary. don�*t forget throughout the pandemic uk government supported the railway industry to the tune of £16 billion, we kept our railways going and quite rightly too. we supported railway workers and their families, we supported the whole industry. it cost every family in this country thousands and thousands of pounds to do that. everybody knows, we are making bigger investments, longer—term investments in the railways than any previous government, the integrated rail plan alone is worth £96 billion and what we are doing is truly transformational, making a generational investment in railways and we love them. we believe in our railways, and a railway infrastructure, as a vital part of levelling up across the whole the country. and i�*m proud to be

inaugurating northern powerhouse, i was proud to be the mayor of london historic roswell in london and the prime minister who completed crossrail. we need crossrailfor the north of our country and that�*s what we are doing. but if we are doing these colossal investments as we are and we must, we need to have reform and we must, we need to have reform and we must have reform in the way that the railways work and it cannot be right that some ticket offices, i think, are selling roughly one ticket per hour. we need to get those staff out from behind plate glass onto the platforms, interacting with passengers, with customers, in the way they want to do. and we need the union barons to sit down with network rail and the train companies and get on with it. and we need, i�*m afraid, everybody, and i say this to the country as a whole, we need to get ready to stay the course. to stay the course.

because these reforms, these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public. they will help to cut costs for their payers up and down the country but they are also in the interests of the railways, or railway workers and their families. otherwise, if we don�*t do this, these great companies and this great industry will face further financial pressure. it will go bust and the result will be they have to hike up the cost of tickets still further. so that people don�*t use the railways at all, and they use them much less than they used to and i think that would be a disaster for the country and our economy. folks, this government was elected to do the difficult things and to stay the course and i hope very much i can count on your support and count on your support for grant and everything he does in the days and weeks ahead. thank you very much. that was borisjohnson speaking to his cabinet a short time ago.

our correspondent tim muffett is at euston station in central london for us. people have been told not to travel but we see some people have turned up. are they getting anywhere? good morninu. up. are they getting anywhere? good morning- some _ up. are they getting anywhere? (13mm morning. some services are leaving euston this morning but fewer than a fifth and there is probably roundabout may be 150 people behind me. i�*ve been speaking to some of them and asking why you�*ve come here on a day we�*ve been warned not to travel unless it is essential and the people i spoke to said their journeys are essential. one family was travelling to a wedding, others were visiting family for a long—standing arrangement and they said these are journeys they could not miss. the services which are running, most of them seem to be leaving on time although one service to liverpool was cancelled in a few minutes ago but the people here, there�*s not much anger. people were forewarned about the strikes so

they�*ve come here knowing there might be a service which they can get onto and they are trying to. staff here as well advising people on the latest situation. in london, there is a tube strike today as well which means travel across the capital is difficult, some of the bus stops outside are busier than you would normally expect, i was talking to some passengers there a short time ago and because people have been forewarned about this, i don�*t think the anger you might necessarily expect if this was unexpected wasn�*t there but they were clear if this goes on more than a week, their patients will potentially snap some people at least on the dispiriting news we have heard this morning is the ongoing back and forth between the union and government, and there doesn�*t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel as things currently stand, the union reiterating their view that a 3% pay rise on offer are simply unrealistic and the government as we heard just now, saying people have got to be

realistic and this is about as generous a pay deal that they will get. a sense of resignation for the time being. a sense of hope that things will get better but i think the realisation that when it comes to rail disruption, there is a real risk this could go on beyond this week. . ~ risk this could go on beyond this week. ., ,, , ., we have a correspondent and the national traffic operations centre in birmingham. it national traffic operations centre in birmingham.— in birmingham. it was busy this morninu. in birmingham. it was busy this morning. there _ in birmingham. it was busy this morning. there was _ in birmingham. it was busy this morning. there was traffic - in birmingham. it was busy this morning. there was traffic in i in birmingham. it was busy this i morning. there was traffic in some of the pinch point areas. there�*s been surprise at how much better things have lived on the roads unexpected. you get a snapshot of how things are at the moment on the screen behind me, we see 20 different key roads across the country. the m25 the left. next to

the m4. on the right spaghetti junction, you see traffic is flowing, pretty freely across the country. there have been extra staff brought in today, just in case, they were expecting this morning that there would be something between what you see in a typical tuesday but not quite as busy as what you see on a bank holiday but so far it�*s looking pretty good and people appear to have heeded the warnings. this place is the national centre, the hub into which all the regional team speed information in an these guys are here 21w, 365 days every year. one really important thing they do as they put the text that you see on the motorway signs, the messages you see from their are written from here so that is one of the jobs they do. let�*s find out more about how things are looking and what we can expect today by speaking to frank, the senior network planner here. tell me, so far today it looks like it�*s been

pretty smooth sailing? far today it looks like it's been pretty smooth sailing? absolutely. we saw a slightly _ pretty smooth sailing? absolutely. we saw a slightly busier _ pretty smooth sailing? absolutely. we saw a slightly busier than - pretty smooth sailing? absolutely. j we saw a slightly busier than usual morning _ we saw a slightly busier than usual morning peak. the rest of the network— morning peak. the rest of the network dare i say it, has performed remarkably— network dare i say it, has performed remarkably well so we are pleased people _ remarkably well so we are pleased people have heeded the advice and an awful lot _ people have heeded the advice and an awful lot of— people have heeded the advice and an awful lot of people seem to have changed — awful lot of people seem to have changed their travel patterns today. you were _ changed their travel patterns today. you were telling me a moment ago that right now it is quieter than it would be on a normal tuesday? it is. would be on a normaltuesday? it is, i hoe ou would be on a normaltuesday? it is, i hone you have _ would be on a normaltuesday? it is, i hope you have not _ would be on a normaltuesday? it is, i hope you have notjinxed _ would be on a normal tuesday? it is, i hope you have notjinxed it for us, we do not like to use the keyword _ us, we do not like to use the keyword but you are right. the network— keyword but you are right. the network is _ keyword but you are right. the network is taking over nice and steady, — network is taking over nice and steady, less than usual. is that because peeple _ steady, less than usual. is that because people are _ steady, less than usual. is that because people are working . steady, less than usual. is that l because people are working from home? we because people are working from home? ~ ~ . because people are working from home? ~ ,, ., , , because people are working from home? ~ ,, ., , . home? we think that is the case. we were promised _ home? we think that is the case. we were promised really _ home? we think that is the case. we were promised really good _ home? we think that is the case. we were promised really good weather. were promised really good weather for the _ were promised really good weather for the next four days, people have probably— for the next four days, people have probably seen the forecast and thought— probably seen the forecast and thought i will work from home and that is_ thought i will work from home and that is great. thought i will work from home and that is great-— that is great. there will be pinch oints in that is great. there will be pinch points in the _ that is great. there will be pinch points in the country _

that is great. there will be pinch points in the country today - that is great. there will be pinch points in the country today thatl points in the country today that will see more traffic than usual. what are some of those areas? it�*s what are some of those areas? it's robabl what are some of those areas? it's probably going to be the towns and cities _ probably going to be the towns and cities. we've seen it busier than usual, _ cities. we've seen it busier than usual, people going in, having to find multistorey car parks so they can beat — find multistorey car parks so they can beat their vehicles. that's going — can beat their vehicles. that's going to — can beat their vehicles. that's going to be our next key challenge, going _ going to be our next key challenge, going to _ going to be our next key challenge, going to be our next key challenge, going to be at some point, all those people _ going to be at some point, all those people witt— going to be at some point, all those people will start wanting to go home so we _ people will start wanting to go home so we will— people will start wanting to go home so we will expect to see the network later so we will expect to see the network tater on _ so we will expect to see the network tater on this — so we will expect to see the network later on this afternoon to be slightly _ later on this afternoon to be slightly busier than it would normally be.— slightly busier than it would normall be. ~ ., �*, ., . ., normally be. what's the advice to passengers _ normally be. what's the advice to passengers or _ normally be. what's the advice to passengers or to _ normally be. what's the advice to passengers or to motorists? - normally be. what's the advice to i passengers or to motorists? really, it is about thinking _ passengers or to motorists? really, it is about thinking when _ passengers or to motorists? really, it is about thinking when you - passengers or to motorists? really, it is about thinking when you will. it is about thinking when you will set out _ it is about thinking when you will set out for— it is about thinking when you will set out for yourjourney. if you are at work. _ set out for yourjourney. if you are at work, consider it may be leaving at work, consider it may be leaving a bit _ at work, consider it may be leaving a bit earlier— at work, consider it may be leaving a bit earlier or later. but maybe do something — a bit earlier or later. but maybe do something slightly out of the routine _ something slightly out of the routine. . ~ something slightly out of the routine. ., ,, , ., , something slightly out of the routine. . ~' , ., , ., something slightly out of the routine. ., ,, , ., ., routine. thank you. it is hot out there today. — routine. thank you. it is hot out there today, but _ routine. thank you. it is hot out there today, but also _ routine. thank you. it is hot out there today, but also the - routine. thank you. it is hot out | there today, but also the longest day of the year and it will feel very long if you are getting stuck in traffic for ages.—

joining me now is clive watson, chairman of city pub group which owns 45 pubs across the southern half of england and wales. thank you forjoining us. how are things going today, or all of your workers in?— things going today, or all of your workersin? ., , , ., workers in? no, because they cannot aet workers in? no, because they cannot net in workers in? no, because they cannot get in because _ workers in? no, because they cannot get in because there _ workers in? no, because they cannot get in because there is _ workers in? no, because they cannot get in because there is a _ workers in? no, because they cannot get in because there is a rail- get in because there is a rail strike. and what we have done is where we know our staff cannot make it, we tried to relocate them to other pubs. so it, we tried to relocate them to other pubs-— it, we tried to relocate them to other ubs. ,, �* ., ., it, we tried to relocate them to other ubs. �* ., ., ., other pubs. so you've tried to do a reshuffle and _ other pubs. so you've tried to do a reshuffle and get _ other pubs. so you've tried to do a reshuffle and get them _ other pubs. so you've tried to do a reshuffle and get them to - other pubs. so you've tried to do a reshuffle and get them to a - other pubs. so you've tried to do a reshuffle and get them to a pub i reshuffle and get them to a pub closer to where they are actually living? closer to where they are actually livin: ? . . , closer to where they are actually livin: ? .. , ., closer to where they are actually livin: ? .,. , . ~ living? exactly, and where we think we miaht living? exactly, and where we think we might be _ living? exactly, and where we think we might be busier, _ living? exactly, and where we think we might be busier, out _ living? exactly, and where we think we might be busier, out of - living? exactly, and where we think we might be busier, out of the - living? exactly, and where we think we might be busier, out of the city| we might be busier, out of the city centres. we have deployed staff work we think customers will still be able to get to the pub. for some other pubs. _ able to get to the pub. for some other pubs, are _ able to get to the pub. for some other pubs, are you _ able to get to the pub. for some other pubs, are you expecting i able to get to the pub. for some i other pubs, are you expecting them to be less busy because people have not gone to work or are working from home? ., . ., ., ., �*,

home? no, in central london, it's auoin to home? no, in central london, it's going to be _ home? no, in central london, it's going to be really _ home? no, in central london, it's going to be really slack, _ home? no, in central london, it's going to be really slack, it's - home? no, in central london, it's going to be really slack, it's goingj going to be really slack, it�*s going to be very slow. notjust london, other cities as well. there will be a big drop in central city type locations. a big drop in central city type locations-— a big drop in central city type locations. ~ ., , , ., ., locations. what is your view on the strike, do locations. what is your view on the strike. do you _ locations. what is your view on the strike, do you have _ locations. what is your view on the strike, do you have sympathy - locations. what is your view on the strike, do you have sympathy for l strike, do you have sympathy for those striking?— strike, do you have sympathy for those strikin ? , ., _ , those striking? yes, i have sympathy but i really think _ those striking? yes, i have sympathy but i really think coming _ those striking? yes, i have sympathy but i really think coming out - those striking? yes, i have sympathy but i really think coming out of- but i really think coming out of covid, this is the wrong time, it really is. and i think all of the parties, network rail, the unions, and the government, should really have got round the table and thrash this out and i think to have a rail strike, after all this country has been through, is really disappointing. i don�*tjust blame the unions, i blame the management and the government as well. you the unions, i blame the management and the government as well.- and the government as well. you say cominu and the government as well. you say coming out — and the government as well. you say coming out of _ and the government as well. you say coming out of covid, _ and the government as well. you say coming out of covid, it _ and the government as well. you say coming out of covid, it is _ and the government as well. you say coming out of covid, it is the - and the government as well. you say coming out of covid, it is the wrong i coming out of covid, it is the wrong time but we are also in the middle of a cost crisis. the unions say the workers who are striking, there are

real wages have and are falling as a result of this so it doesn�*t feel like it�*s the wrong time for them, i guess? like it's the wrong time for them, i cuess? , , ~ guess? this is where i think government _ guess? this is where i think government have _ guess? this is where i think government have a - guess? this is where i think government have a role - guess? this is where i think government have a role to i guess? this is where i think i government have a role to play guess? this is where i think - government have a role to play and i more or less agree with what you just said. the government have a role to play here. they should get round the table and offered notjust the rail unions across the board, may be reductions in vat, giving them food subsidies, things like that, temporary ones, but to help people in lower paid jobs to alleviate the cost of living crisis. probably should have targeted the electricity more to the lower paid and if they are paid to do that and stop wage inflation getting out of control and ultimately, they will

control and ultimately, they will control inflation quicker. obviously, you are in business, inflation is affecting you. have you given any consideration to the wages of your employees and how they are coping with the cost of living crisis? . , coping with the cost of living crisis? ., , , , ., crisis? partly because of the national living _ crisis? partly because of the national living wage, - crisis? partly because of the national living wage, we - crisis? partly because of the l national living wage, we have crisis? partly because of the - national living wage, we have had to increase our wages by about 7—8%, and further up the pay scales. but of course... and further up the pay scales. but of course- - -_ and further up the pay scales. but of course- - -— of course... seven or 896, roughly what they — of course... seven or 896, roughly what they are _ of course... seven or 896, roughly what they are empty _ of course... seven or 896, roughly what they are empty are - of course... seven or 896, roughly what they are empty are asking i of course... seven or 896, roughly i what they are empty are asking for? that�*s right, but i think there are other ways of alleviating the cost of living crisis, notjust through pay rises which further stoke inflation but by, as i said, cutting vat on petrol and hassle goods and may be giving food subsidies or vouchers to lower paid households. that could alleviate that cost of living crisis rather than just

increasing pay to eight or nine or 10% of which will only then fuel further inflation. the government have got to tackle it, they cannot just sit on the sidelines and union bash, that will not get this country in a better place. they�*ve got to get round the table and almost have a social contract with employers and employees, across the board, they help households to deal with the cost of living crisis.— cost of living crisis. clive, really interesting _ cost of living crisis. clive, really interesting to _ cost of living crisis. clive, really interesting to talk _ cost of living crisis. clive, really interesting to talk to _ cost of living crisis. clive, really interesting to talk to you. - cost of living crisis. clive, really| interesting to talk to you. thank you. let me reduce some of the comments that you�*ve been sending in. one viewer says i went to my hospital appointment by car for 9am, pleasantly surprised the traffic was pretty much the same as usual. people working from home if they

can, i guess. another of your excess iron support the strike. another viewer says i will be on strike to defend my terms and conditions. i�*m more worried about them making me work from home on a 60 mile radius, per knights, multi—roles, having been fired and rehired all without a job at all. let�*s bring you some more. one viewer says they are supporting the strike action and working at home. juliet says i support the rail strike. lee says i don�*t have sympathy for the strikers, their actions are disgraceful and impacting others who are struggling. please keep getting in touch with us here on this story orany in touch with us here on this story or any of the others we are covering today. you can contact me on twitter. use the hashtag. 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. our correspondent in kyiv — joe inwood — has been giving us the latest. so what we understand they�*re trying to do is to push through ukrainian lines in the city of severodonetsk and then try and encircle coming in specifically from the north through a town called slavyansk, although in that situation they have been repelled. but in severodonetsk, which has been the realfocus of russia�*s invasion for the last few weeks, we understand they are really pushing ukrainian forces back and back. they have taken most of the city now and the ukrainians have been pushed just into one factory. it�*s called the azot chemical plant and that�*s where the last ukrainian defenders are holding out, along with a number of civilians who are sheltering there. now, the governor of the region that you mentioned before, has said that this fight is getting increasingly difficult

and that the russians are shelling heavily the only route into and out of the city of donetsk. this is a highway that runs from a town called lysyshanks, which is just next to several donetsk into the rest of the donbas, into the rest of ukrainian territory. and as you say, joe, we have been talking about severodonetsk for several weeks now. and this particular operation, is that a measure of of the russians deliberately going slowly, or is it to do with the response by the ukrainians? give us a sense of the relative forces at play here. i think it very much depends on who you listen to. it�*s one thing that�*s worth pointing out to viewers is that it�*s very difficult to get information out of severodonetsk. all the lines, phone lines are down. and so we really only have the reports that come

from each side. now, the russians say they�*re going methodically. they�*re going slowly. the ukrainians say that they�*re fighting tooth and nail and they�*re inflicting heavy casualties. i�*m sure the truth of the matter lies somewhere between the two. but i think the russians, their suggestion that they�*re taking their time doesn�*t really hold that much water. i think they have in the past tried to do things as quickly as they can, but that attempt, as they tried here in the capital failed. and i think now probably the reason they�*re going slowly is because they�*re being held up. and when they try and push in quickly, they�*re suffering very heavy losses. their default kind of modus operandi, the way they like to operate is with heavy artillery, basically pound the defensive positions of the ukrainians into submission. but that takes time. they�*re in basements, they�*re in bunkers, and it�*s difficult to know that you�*ve cleared an area if the people are underground taking cover. so i think they�*re being forced into going slowly, which is the ukrainian strategy. the ukrainians here need time. they need time to get their reserves trained. western equipment to the front. and so what they�*re trying to do is delay the russians as long as they can.

and i think the longer this goes on, the more the scales are tipped in favour of ukrainians. and will there be any safe passage or prospect of any safe passage for those civilians still in severodonetsk? i think that time has probably passed. there was talk of a humanitarian corridor unilaterally set up by the russians, but the ukrainians and british intelligence said this as well, the ukrainians have said that that was a ploy. it was an attempt to try and change the battlefield situation, to pretend that they were going to offer safe passage and then take those civilians into russian territory and also use it to get a military advantage over the ukrainians, to have a have safe passage, to have a humanitarian corridor. you really need cooperation between both sides. you need trust in both sides. and i think that�*s something which has been in very short supply.

and i don�*t think we�*ll be seeing any civilians come out of the plant before this fighting is over, although as ever, it�*s difficult to say anything with certainty in this conflict. and just to touch on the issue of food security, which, of course, we�*ve talked about over the past weeks and months, and president zelensky, he�*s been addressing the african union. he�*s called africa a hostage of russia�*s war. is there any prospect, any movement on getting that grain out of ukraine to where it�*s needed? yeah. so we�*re talking about 20 million tons that are stuck in ukrainian silos and far more that�*s going to be harvested soon. as you say, they can�*t get it out. the black sea is blockaded by the russians and the whole area is mined as well. see mines that were put there to resist any russian invasion over the sea. and so you need careful negotiation. there are talks taking place, we understand, or the turks are trying to facilitate something, but it doesn�*t look like there�*s going to be that much movement there. this has become 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 that�*s behind this,

although of course, the russians are saying that it�*s not their fault and it�*s the fault of western sanctions. staying with the war in ukraine, and the authorities in the russian enclave kaliningrad say that the foreign ministry in moscow will summon the eu ambassador to russia on tuesday over lithuania�*s ban on the transit of goods through the area. lithuania stopped goods prohibited under eu sanctions from being carried through its territory to kaliningrad. russia says the ban breaks international law. the russian journalist and nobel peace laureate, dmitry muratov, has auctioned his nobel medalforjust over 103—million dollars — 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 filipinia 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 - 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. - 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 every day? 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.

a former senior member of the united nations is calling for an external panel to investigate allegations of sexual abuse, fraud, and high—level corruption at the organisation. it comes after several former members of staff have told the bbc about stories of cover—ups, harassment, and bullying when they�*ve complained about alleged wrongdoing. some have lost theirjobs after speaking out. sima kotecha from bbc newsnight has the story. the un says it aims to promote peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet. but now several allegations have been made about the organisation, including that a former senior member of staff sexually harassed two women. martina worked as a senior adviser to unaids. in 2015, she was in thailand attending a work event. dr luis lores, a former un assistant secretary general, was also there. as part of leaving the work meeting, and we�*re going down the same elevator, he attacks me

in the elevator. he comes at me all of a sudden. i pleaded with him to stop. let me go. and and so but he was he was being very insistent. and he was pulling my arm. and i was... i had to block myself with the elevator door, too, to be able to stay in the elevator because i was afraid. in 2018, mr lores retired from the un. he says he has never harassed or assaulted anyone. the un says allegations of harassment against mr lores were investigated. but at this time, the un is not in a position to comment on the veracity of these claims. alleged corruption, fraud and management turning a blind eye when confronted with problems are what some of the whistleblowers have told the bbc about.

now, the woman who used to be in charge of tackling sexual harassment at the un says there needs to be an investigation. a group of people external to the united nations who don't have an investment in a job in it and so on, can sit and pull together a lot of the things that have been said, a lot of things that have been criticised about how the un works and so on. pull that together as a sort of an investigation of what's wrong and put together a really time limited, focused set of actions that will make change. in response to this allegation, the un said the secretary general has consistently emphasised a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment and that he and the united nations administration is committed to protecting bona fide whistleblowers against retaliation. it said it remains open to any external review of its efforts to combat misconduct of any kind. all of this has raised questions

about whether the un should be allowed to handle complaints internally, something which it currently does. let�*s get more now on the rail strikes in the uk. our correspondent, nick garnett is at manchester picadilly station. like other stations we have seen so far today, like other stations we have seen so fartoday, notably like other stations we have seen so far today, notably quiet? yes. far today, notably quiet? yes, absolutely- — far today, notably quiet? yes, absolutely. there _ far today, notably quiet? yes, absolutely. there are - far today, notably quiet? yes, absolutely. there are 14 - fartoday, notably quiet? 1a: absolutely. there are 14 platforms absolutely. there are 16 platforms at piccadilly station, normally busy all the time. as one train leaves, another one is waiting just outside the station to come in. you can see behind me, ithink the station to come in. you can see behind me, i think there is a train on platform five at the moment and one on platform 13 coming in in a few minutes. when the trains do come and there are people on them, train came in from york and that was quite

full. people saying they made these journeys because they were the only ones they could. northern rail which runs the services out of this train station has been advising people not to take the train at all over the next six days. literally, if you think about it, a company that runs trains telling people not to use the trains telling people not to use the trains at all! it is that serious. they are only running about 20% of services. if we look at the departures board at the moment, it is quite interesting. you will see there is a huge swathe of orange. those orange signs on the left of the board, they are saying all the different stations they are going to go to. the point is, on the right—hand side you will see there are very few trains. on the left—hand side of the board, that is every single station that every one of those trains is going to stop at on theirjourneys. so not an awful lot. when you look around at the number of people here as well, it is fair to say there are as many staff

here at the moment as there are passengers. at one point this morning there were more pigeons here than people. the station says it will shut at about 6.30 this evening because that is when the last train will be leaving for london and liverpool at a early teatime. after that, they will close the station down. i come down here very early in the morning is quite often and it is quite busy at any time at the morning and it isjust quite busy at any time at the morning and it is just completely dead this morning. the other thing that has been interesting today is on the concourse as you go away from the station, there are a huge swathe of restaurants and takeaway shops. every takeaway shop there is in the high street is listed down there. they have been empty today, so it is notjust they have been empty today, so it is not just the they have been empty today, so it is notjust the railjourneys being affected it is the rest of the industries as well. one guy said he literally did know how many people he had served, probably three or four all morning. it is a difficult

situation, they are doing what they can to keep the trains they can. there is a railway ticket down the road that has been doing its work as well. and services should return to normal a little bit tomorrow, but northern rail is saying the service will be very, very disrupted right the week. . ~ will be very, very disrupted right the week. ., ,, , ., , . the week. thank you very much. let me brina the week. thank you very much. let me bring in — the week. thank you very much. let me bring in more _ the week. thank you very much. let me bring in more of— the week. thank you very much. let me bring in more of your _ the week. thank you very much. let me bring in more of your commentsj me bring in more of your comments about the strike and how it is affecting you. michaeljamieson says it is disgraceful behaviour from the unions. one person says they are on the fence, and they get why they want to strike, but many people who work for the nhs. go through the strike. full says they support the rmt and the fight for a better pay deal. people have short memories, the 3% they offered its infancy. andrew says why is it ok with p&o

ferries bringing low—paid workers, but not ok for the railways. how come the borisjohnson told the tory party we are moving to a high—paid, high skilled economy? you can send your views to me on twitter at an eta on bbc and use the hashtag bbc your questions. in the uk, around 900,000 people are estimated to have dementia. but there is a part of the condition that is rarely spoken about: continence care. now the national institute for health and social care research has told the bbc a lack of good quality continence care in acute hospital settings is impacting patient�*s health and their dignity. i am joined now by bbc reporter datshiane navanayagam who has studied the report for our file on four radio series. datchiane, good to have you it is to talk about this important study funded by the national institute for health and social care research.

what exactly did this to define? the stud was what exactly did this to define? tie: study was carried out what exactly did this to define? ti9 study was carried out by what exactly did this to define? ti9: study was carried out by a what exactly did this to define? ti9 study was carried out by a team of researchers from the university of west london and they monitored the continence care of dementia patients across england and wales. what they found is these patients were being routinely placed in incontinence pads, so even if they were consonance and could go to the toilet and mobile, they mightjust need a bit of assistance, they were forced into these pads and left it wet and so themselves, sometimes for extended periods of time causing extreme emotional and physical distress. we should talk about what these pads are, they not discreet, easy to wear products. you might get some like sanitary towels, but these are very large and bulky, you cannot wear your normal clothes on topsy have to be put into a hospital gown. it is not the emotional and physical repercussions, it stripped patients of their dignity and the identity, which is particularly crucial to

this group. which is particularly crucial to this group-— which is particularly crucial to this u-rou. , , : :, this group. very difficult for the atients this group. very difficult for the patients and — this group. very difficult for the patients and for _ this group. very difficult for the patients and for their _ this group. very difficult for the patients and for their families, | this group. very difficult for the - patients and for their families, who are obviously suffering watching their loved ones suffer and go through this horrible disease? yeah, i ruess the through this horrible disease? yeah, i guess the question _ through this horrible disease? yeah, i guess the question is _ through this horrible disease? yeah, i guess the question is why - through this horrible disease? yeah, i guess the question is why is - through this horrible disease? yeah, i guess the question is why is this i i guess the question is why is this happening? these pads were brought in initially to managing continence, but over time they have become more widespread because awards are busy, short—staffed and that is our under extreme time pressure. the pads are used as a workaround. one that we spoke to said that continence care was seen as a cinderella subject, so it wasn�*t given the priority when it came to training and support. the study found that as a real culture of silence and shame around continence work. it seen as low value and dirty work in hospitals and nurses said they felt unsupported but they didn�*t have the right vocabulary when it came to talking to patients. aspects of this care, deeply and intimate aspects, like washing someone and stripping

them after they had used a pad was donein them after they had used a pad was done in silence. if you are already vulnerable and suffering from dementia, it is equally distressing to have that done to you in complete silence. ~ :, , to have that done to you in complete silence. 9 :, , :, , , to have that done to you in complete silence. 9 :,, :, , , :, to have that done to you in complete silence. 9 :, , , :, , silence. was there a sense of this that had become _ silence. was there a sense of this that had become embedded - silence. was there a sense of this that had become embedded as i silence. was there a sense of this i that had become embedded as part silence. was there a sense of this - that had become embedded as part of the norm, that these pads are used rather than try to help someone who are still continent to get the toilet? : , ,:, , are still continent to get the toilet? : ,,:, , ,:, toilet? absolutely. there were some instances of — toilet? absolutely. there were some instances of good _ toilet? absolutely. there were some instances of good continence - toilet? absolutely. there were some instances of good continence care i instances of good continence care but they found this has become quite an institutionalised form of practice. it is notjust the harmful impact it was happening there and then, there is significant long—term repercussions. people are going into hospital continence and they are leaving incontinence. the pads are effectively training them to lose their continence skills, the skills of using their bladder and bowel. we spend so much time at the beginning of your life to be toilet trained, only to be trained the opposite way. two of the big reasons people end up going into care homes are related to

incontinence and memory —related problems. you may have somebody living at home independently, having care as a couple of times a day and then they go into hospital and they acquire hospital acquired incontinence.— acquire hospital acquired incontinence. : , :, incontinence. and then they cannot no back incontinence. and then they cannot go back home- _ incontinence. and then they cannot go back home. we _ incontinence. and then they cannot go back home. we have _ incontinence. and then they cannot go back home. we have a - incontinence. and then they cannot go back home. we have a guest - incontinence. and then they cannot go back home. we have a guest his mother was affected by this, so what is the public of health saying? thea;r is the public of health saying? they said there is _ is the public of health saying? they said there is a _ is the public of health saying? they said there is a best _ is the public of health saying? ti9 said there is a best practice is the public of health saying? ti91 said there is a best practice guide, and expect all trusts to abide by that. : :, :, ~ and expect all trusts to abide by that. : :, :, ,, ,:, and expect all trusts to abide by that. : :, :, ,, y:, , that. datchiane, thank you very much. one of those who spoke to datshiane is susan nurden whose mum bessie was diagnosed in 2017. susan, thank you very much for joining us. tell us more about your mum and her situation? mum joining us. tell us more about your mum and her situation?— mum and her situation? mum was diaunosed mum and her situation? mum was diagnosed with _ mum and her situation? mum was diagnosed with dementia - mum and her situation? mum was diagnosed with dementia and - mum and her situation? mum was diagnosed with dementia and she| diagnosed with dementia and she lived at _ diagnosed with dementia and she lived at home independently with a

care package at home. we were getting — care package at home. we were getting increasingly worried about her mobility and ability to stay at home _ her mobility and ability to stay at home but — her mobility and ability to stay at home. but she was continent, so that wasn't _ home. but she was continent, so that wasn't an— home. but she was continent, so that wasn't an issue at the time. she had a fall_ wasn't an issue at the time. she had a fall and _ wasn't an issue at the time. she had a fall and was admitted to hospital. and when— a fall and was admitted to hospital. and when she was in hospital, she was unable — and when she was in hospital, she was unable to use the buzz app because — was unable to use the buzz app because it was either out of her reach _ because it was either out of her reach or— because it was either out of her reach or she would forget how to use it. reach or she would forget how to use it so _ reach or she would forget how to use it so she _ reach or she would forget how to use it. so she was put into incontinence pads. _ it. so she was put into incontinence pads, irut— it. so she was put into incontinence pads, but she would shout out for help when— pads, but she would shout out for help when she wanted to go to the toilet— help when she wanted to go to the toilet because she knew she wanted toilet because she knew she wanted to -o toilet because she knew she wanted to go to _ toilet because she knew she wanted to go to the toilet. she would shout out for— to go to the toilet. she would shout out for help. to go to the toilet. she would shout out for help-— out for help. sorry, i was 'ust rroin to out for help. sorry, i was 'ust going to say. i out for help. sorry, i was 'ust going to say, susan, * out for help. sorry, i wasjust going to say, susan, despite | out for help. sorry, i wasjust - going to say, susan, despite what the dementia was doing to your mum and obviously the loss of memories, she knew that she was able to go to

the toilet she just needed the help to get to the bathroom, didn�*t she? she did, yes, yes. she was totally continent9 — she did, yes, yes. she was totally continent. had been at home, was ablea _ continent. had been at home, was able. at _ continent. had been at home, was able, at home, get to the toilet by herself— able, at home, get to the toilet by herself until this fall. so when she went— herself until this fall. so when she went into — herself until this fall. so when she went into hospital she would call out for _ went into hospital she would call out for help to go to the toilet but either— out for help to go to the toilet but either the — out for help to go to the toilet but either the nurses were too slow to respond _ either the nurses were too slow to respond to— either the nurses were too slow to respond to her all they were too trusy— respond to her all they were too busy to— respond to her all they were too busy to respond initially. and so she would — busy to respond initially. and so she would have little accidents. so then she _ she would have little accidents. so then she was deemed to be incontinent, which wasn't the case at ait9 _ incontinent, which wasn't the case at all. : ,:, :,, , at all. and then your mum was sent home, at all. and then your mum was sent home. isn't — at all. and then your mum was sent home, isn't that _ at all. and then your mum was sent home, isn't that right, _ at all. and then your mum was sent home, isn't that right, with - at all. and then your mum was sent home, isn't that right, with a - at all. and then your mum was sent home, isn't that right, with a care l home, isn�*t that right, with a care plan which included additional carers, a commode and indeed incontinence pads, so what happened

at that point? she incontinence pads, so what happened at that point?— at that point? she was discharged home and she _ at that point? she was discharged home and she was _ at that point? she was discharged home and she was supposed - at that point? she was discharged home and she was supposed to i at that point? she was discharged i home and she was supposed to come home _ home and she was supposed to come home with _ home and she was supposed to come home with incontinence pads, which we didn't— home with incontinence pads, which we didn't realise she hadn't had an assessment done in hospital. so she didn't— assessment done in hospital. so she didn't come — assessment done in hospital. so she didn't come home with incontinence pads _ didn't come home with incontinence pads my— didn't come home with incontinence pads. my sister and didn't come home with incontinence pads. my sisterand i didn't come home with incontinence pads. my sister and i were very concerned _ pads. my sister and i were very concerned about her discharge home because _ concerned about her discharge home because we — concerned about her discharge home because we didn't feel she was safe because _ because we didn't feel she was safe because we didn't feel she was safe because we believed she would try to id because we believed she would try to -o to because we believed she would try to go to the _ because we believed she would try to go to the toilet when the carers were _ go to the toilet when the carers were not— go to the toilet when the carers were not there, because that is what she does _ were not there, because that is what she does so — were not there, because that is what she does. so we weren't altogether happy— she does. so we weren't altogether happy at _ she does. so we weren't altogether happy at the discharge and try to fi-ht happy at the discharge and try to fight that— happy at the discharge and try to fight that she wasn't capable of being _ fight that she wasn't capable of being left at home by herself, especially overnight. but they discharged her anyway, the incontinence pads were not there. we had new— incontinence pads were not there. we had new carers in and they came and forced _ had new carers in and they came and forced my— had new carers in and they came and forced my mum onto the commode when she didn't _ forced my mum onto the commode when she didn't want to go and she kept

saying. _ she didn't want to go and she kept saying. i— she didn't want to go and she kept saying, i don't want to go to the toilet _ saying, i don't want to go to the toilet but — saying, i don't want to go to the toilet. but they forced her onto the commode — toilet. but they forced her onto the commode and gashed her leg in the process _ commode and gashed her leg in the process. they didn't close the lounge — process. they didn't close the lounge curtains so the commode was on view— lounge curtains so the commode was on view to— lounge curtains so the commode was on view to anybody who passed by. my sister _ on view to anybody who passed by. my sister was _ on view to anybody who passed by. my sister was there at the time i mentioned this to them and said, could _ mentioned this to them and said, could you — mentioned this to them and said, could you close the curtains, please? _ could you close the curtains, please? so they did. but mum didn't want to— please? so they did. but mum didn't want to use — please? so they did. but mum didn't want to use the commode because she didn't— want to use the commode because she didn't want— want to use the commode because she didn't want to go to the toilet. so didn't want to go to the toilet. sc when didn't want to go to the toilet. when she didn't want to go to the toilet. sr when she wanted to go to the toilet she couldn�*t get and when she didn�*t want to go to the toilet, she was being made to use the commode? and very sadly, your mum did have a fall at home subsequently, didn�*t she and you think it was when she was trying to get to the toilet by herself and she ended up back in hospital and what happened at that point, susan? she had a fall overnight, we believe she was— she had a fall overnight, we believe she was trying to get to the toilet because _ she was trying to get to the toilet because she didn't have carers through— because she didn't have carers through the night, she only had them through— through the night, she only had them

through the night, she only had them through the day. so we believe she was trying — through the day. so we believe she was trying to get to the toilet so she feti— was trying to get to the toilet so she fell onto the floor. she was found _ she fell onto the floor. she was found by— she fell onto the floor. she was found by the carers the next morning _ found by the carers the next morning. so they readmitted her to hospitai9 _ morning. so they readmitted her to hospitai9 in— morning. so they readmitted her to hospital. in hospital she got a hospital—acquired chest infection and sadly— hospital—acquired chest infection and sadly she passed away of that infection — and sadly she passed away of that infection i— and sadly she passed away of that infection. , :, , infection. i 'ust wonder, it is bad enourh infection. ijust wonder, it is bad enough dealing _ infection. ijust wonder, it is bad enough dealing with _ infection. ijust wonder, it is bad enough dealing with dementia i infection. ijust wonder, it is bad enough dealing with dementia in infection. ijust wonder, it is bad i enough dealing with dementia in a loved one, but all of this episode around your mother�*s ability to use the toilet, that must have been very distressing for both her, you and your sister? distressing for both her, you and yoursister? it distressing for both her, you and your sister?— your sister? it was very distressing, _ your sister? it was very distressing, certainly i your sister? it was very i distressing, certainly when your sister? it was very - distressing, certainly when she your sister? it was very _ distressing, certainly when she was in hospital— distressing, certainly when she was in hospital she would get very agitated — in hospital she would get very agitated when she wanted to go to the toilet— agitated when she wanted to go to the toilet because she couldn't make herself— the toilet because she couldn't make herself understood and she wouldn't use the _ herself understood and she wouldn't use the pad to go to the toilet, because — use the pad to go to the toilet, because that is not what she did.

she had — because that is not what she did. she had dignity. she didn't want to use the _ she had dignity. she didn't want to use the pad, so it was very distressing all round, really. susan. — distressing all round, really. susan, thank you so much for telling us about your mum and her story and yours. let mejust us about your mum and her story and yours. let me just bring us about your mum and her story and yours. let mejust bring in us about your mum and her story and yours. let me just bring in what rotherham nhs trust have told us... they apologise to bessie�*s family and have since improved patient care.rotherham council also apologised and said they�*d now improved the way they planned and carried out hospital discharges for patients. and you can hear more about this story if you�*re in the uk — on file on 4 on bbc radio 4 this evening at 8pm. let�*s get more now on the rail strikes in the uk. christy hoffman is the un! global union general secretary which is a worker federation with 20 million members across the world. shejoins me now.

thank you forjoining us today. just looking at what is happening in the uk from abroad and the scale of the action, the biggest rail strikes in 30 years, what is the view from there? 9 , :, , there? well, 'ust to put it in the alobal there? well, just to put it in the global context _ there? well, just to put it in the global context and _ there? well, just to put it in the global context and not - there? well, just to put it in the i global context and not specifically as relating to other transportation workers, the transport workers in general. what is happening today is a constant global crisis. we see workers fighting back everywhere, the cost of basics, fuel, housing and i don�*t have to tell you, it is rising at an astonishing rate. not only in the uk but around the world, workers are pushing back. we are seeing strikes across europe, all kinds of organising in the united states but also latin america, elsewhere we are seeing a lot of pushback. ih elsewhere we are seeing a lot of rushback. :, pushback. in the uk the government is sa inr if pushback. in the uk the government is saying if people — pushback. in the uk the government is saying if people make _ pushback. in the uk the government is saying if people make demands i pushback. in the uk the government| is saying if people make demands for wages that are too high, that is

going to cause inflation to spiral further and therefore expectations have to be capped. is that a similar message coming from governments elsewhere? i message coming from governments elsewhere? ~ message coming from governments elsewhere? ,, , :, , :, ,, elsewhere? i think people would like to say wages — elsewhere? i think people would like to say wages are _ elsewhere? i think people would like to say wages are the _ elsewhere? i think people would like to say wages are the problem, - elsewhere? i think people would like to say wages are the problem, but i to say wages are the problem, but the evidence does not show that. all the evidence does not show that. all the evidence does not show that. all the evidence shows they could be debated about the cause of inflation whether it is relating to the pandemic of the oil prices, food prices coming off the ukraine wall. but the reality is there is no evidence that wages are leading to disinflation that we see and in fact, ourview disinflation that we see and in fact, our view is that the end to the crisis of inflation is increasing wages. workers have through this pandemic suffering all kinds of risks to themselves and their families on the front lines, emerge from the pandemic and they are getting a wage cap. how fair is that? it is not. most bosses, owners did rather well, there is more billionaires now, profits have gone up billionaires now, profits have gone up and we see profiteering right now which leads to more inflation. we

see some employers, some businesses taking advantage of the situation and raising prices and related to the increase in their costs. the bottom line — the increase in their costs. the bottom line though is, governments, business owners and workers somehow have to come together to find a resolution to this, don�*t they? and where is the route to get that resolution when you have got a lot of rhetoric on both sides? you know, it is collective _ of rhetoric on both sides? you know, it is collective bargaining _ of rhetoric on both sides? you know, it is collective bargaining and - it is collective bargaining and support for collective bargaining and coming together to find solutions, that is what it is all about. there are a of demands for governments to crack on profiteering and those should be listened to. workers should not be forced to shoulder this burden alone. i think collective bargaining is a big part of the answer. we see so many workers around the world who don�*t have access to collective bargaining and so they are sort of complaining

and so they are sort of complaining and shouting and protesting on their own, but i do think collective bargaining is the answer. general secretary of _ bargaining is the answer. general secretary of the _ bargaining is the answer. general secretary of the global— bargaining is the answer. general secretary of the global union, - bargaining is the answer. general i secretary of the global union, thank you very much for your time today. today marks a big birthday for the duke of cambridge — he turns 40 years old. daniela relph, reports. for 40 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 for 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. looking ahead to the next hour, i am

still here on the bbc news channel. you are watching bbc news. 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. the headlines at 11... 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 negotiations failing, the prime minister 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, to stay the course, because these reforms, these improvements 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 it. the lies they are telling about railway workers and the railway

industry are outrageous. iam here i am here at manchester piccadilly station. fewer passengers and trains than normal, this is normally one of the busiest stations in the country. they are managing to run six trains per hour in the confusion is set to last all week. 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 £84—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 and welcome. 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 walkouts 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, disruption is expected on non—strike days too. in a cabinet meeting, borisjohnson has warned travellers to brace for �*unnecessary aggravation�* and called for a �*sensible compromise�*

on union pay demands. in a moment, we�*ll be live in manchester, 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. it is ridiculous. i work for the nhs, i have to be there on time and i get it, things are tough right now but i think we should all fulfil our duty and do our role. it is quiet this morning, a lot of people that aren't here. that would normally be here, catching the train for work. we are having to close early. i've got sympathy with them, i i realise it's a challenging time for everyone, everyone would like a pay rise, l everyone has the threat i of redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic. but we are trying to restart the economy and this - week will be a real dent -

to the economy unfortunately. 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. network rail says services need to be modernised, in part, due to changing passenger habits. something the government agrees with. we�*ve got to have reform and we�*ve got to have reform in the way the railways work. and it cannot be right that some ticket offices, i think, are selling roughly one ticket per hour. we need to get those staff out from behind plate glass onto the platforms, interacting with passengers, with customers in the way that they want to do. the rmt says the reforms mean job cuts and workers need a pay rise to reflect 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 see,

if we can negotiate a deal, we will, but otherwise we will look at what campaigns we will put on going forward and we think other unions willjoin us 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 open to discussions that could settle the dispute. for now, rail passengers across britain face a week of disruption. vincent mcaviney, bbc news. i�*m joined by andrew haines, chief executive of network rail. and network rail looks after the rail infrastructure. thank you for joining us. good morning. can i begin by asking you why a pay offer was made to the rmtjust yesterday, so late in the day? do you think that was unhelpful, the timing of that? i that was unhelpful, the timing of that? 4' :, ' , :, that was unhelpful, the timing of that? ~ :,f y :, :,

that? i think the offer you are referrinr that? i think the offer you are referring to — that? i think the offer you are referring to was _ that? i think the offer you are referring to was made - that? i think the offer you are i referring to was made between that? i think the offer you are - referring to was made between the train operating companies in the rmt, that was not part of the network rail negotiations but before we see anything else, i really must apologise to people who have been massively disrupted today. i�*m so sorry these strikes have gone ahead, we had done our best to avoid them and we are doing our best to run a service but i recognise how devastating this impact will be for some people. it�*s devastating this impact will be for some people-— some people. it's interesting, we heard from _ some people. it's interesting, we heard from you — some people. it's interesting, we heard from you gov _ some people. it's interesting, we heard from you gov earlier - some people. it's interesting, we heard from you gov earlier on - some people. it's interesting, we i heard from you gov earlier on their latest polling on this and more than one third of people say they support the strike, we�*ve been hearing from viewers this morning, that�*s not a scientific survey, of course, but while there are some who oppose them, some are on the fence and sympathetic with the idea although unhappy about the disruption. lots of people saying they fully support the strikes. don�*t people want a safe railway system and the ability to get from a to b but they want people to have a decent wage as

well? 9, �* , people to have a decent wage as well? :, �*, , people to have a decent wage as well? :, �*, :, , , :, people to have a decent wage as well? :, �*, , :, well? that's absolutely right and so do we. well? that's absolutely right and so do we- there _ well? that's absolutely right and so do we. there is _ well? that's absolutely right and so do we. there is a _ well? that's absolutely right and so do we. there is a very _ well? that's absolutely right and so do we. there is a very real - well? that's absolutely right and so do we. there is a very real cost - well? that's absolutely right and so do we. there is a very real cost of l do we. there is a very real cost of living challenge, nobody in this country could deny that. we want to be in a position to give our colleagues at network rail a decent pay award and the best way to do thatis pay award and the best way to do that is for the rmt to agree to get rid of some of the 1960s and 70s working practices that make the railway deeply inefficient. if we can do that and i believe there is a willingness amongst colleagues to do that, we can give them a decent pay rise and make the railways more attractive to users of the network. we have heard a lot about working practices and reform without i think an awful lot of detail about what exactly that reform is. boris johnson in the clip... ii exactly that reform is. boris johnson in the clip... if you've got time, i johnson in the clip... if you've got time. i could _ johnson in the clip... if you've got time, i could give _ johnson in the clip... if you've got time, i could give you _ johnson in the clip... if you've got time, i could give you some - time, i could give you some examples. i time, i could give you some examples-— time, i could give you some exam-les. , :, :, examples. i will get you to give me some examples. _ examples. i will get you to give me some examples. boris _ examples. i will get you to give me some examples. boris johnson - examples. i will get you to give me some examples. boris johnson in l examples. i will get you to give me l some examples. boris johnson in the some examples. borisjohnson in the clip we played earlier from the cabinet meeting talked about some ticket offices selling one ticket per hour and i don�*t know if you

know whether that is the reality but what sort of reforms are you talking about? i what sort of reforms are you talking about? 9, , what sort of reforms are you talking about? :, , :, :, :, about? i have seen the data from the ticket office — about? i have seen the data from the ticket office and _ about? i have seen the data from the ticket office and once _ about? i have seen the data from the ticket office and once network - about? i have seen the data from the ticket office and once network rail i ticket office and once network rail does not manage the ticket offices it is absolutely the case less than 12% of all tickets sold in britain are sold through a ticket office so, you know, the idea that we stick with the ticket office procedures and practices and opening hours from and practices and opening hours from an era when all tickets were bought there, i think everybody would say why would we stick to the previous practice but look, there are lots of examples where we can make efficiencies. we have colleagues from disciplines who refused to go out on the same van as each other so we sent two fans to side, we have fixed teams that we have to send regardless of the size of the task, one team not allowed to help another team unload the van, we have refusal to use technology which can save lives and make the railway more

reliable. and interestingly, we have been very care, we wrote again last night to the rmt, we believe all the efficiencies we can make could be done through voluntary means, voluntary redundancy, so no compulsory redundancies, no imposing, imposing these things. by agreement, we could get voluntary redundancies, if only we could talk about some of the practices i think most people would think are pretty outrageous in the 21st century. you have made — outrageous in the 21st century. you have made some _ outrageous in the 215t century. you have made some of the points you would like to about the reforms you would like to about the reforms you would like to see happening. from the union perspective, they are talking about a lack of engagement and that these reforms are really a banner forjob cuts. and that these reforms are really a bannerforjob cuts. does and that these reforms are really a banner forjob cuts. does that involve job cuts, those banner forjob cuts. does that involvejob cuts, those reforms? it involve job cuts, those reforms? it will involve efficiencies but the point is i have written to them and said we can do that through voluntary measures, we have an ageing workforce, quite a number of people over 60 and my inbox is full

of people saying i would like to take voluntary severance. would you rut a take voluntary severance. would you put a number — take voluntary severance. would you put a number on _ take voluntary severance. would you put a number on the _ take voluntary severance. would you put a number on the number - take voluntary severance. would you put a number on the number of - take voluntary severance. would you put a number on the number ofjobs| put a number on the number ofjobs you are talking about cutting? brute you are talking about cutting? we have you are talking about cutting? 9 have talked about under 2000. that we think, so in an organisation that employs over 40,000 people, all of them through voluntary means. let me come back to — them through voluntary means. let me come back to the _ them through voluntary means. let me come back to the first _ them through voluntary means. let me come back to the first question - them through voluntary means. let me come back to the first question i - come back to the first question i asked you and i know that�*s not directly the bit of the negotiations you�*re involved in. do you think an offer, a pay offer, being made literallyjust offer, a pay offer, being made literally just yesterday on the eve of these strikes was very late in the day to try to stop them? wouldn�*t it have been more sensible for the pay offer to have been made earlier in the talks process as a basis perhaps for ongoing negotiation? i basis perhaps for ongoing negotiation?— basis perhaps for ongoing negotiation? basis perhaps for ongoing nerotiation? :, :, :, negotiation? i do not agree with that. i negotiation? i do not agree with that- l have _ negotiation? i do not agree with that. i have been _ negotiation? i do not agree with that. i have been involved - negotiation? i do not agree with that. i have been involved in - that. i have been involved in negotiations over many years. the truth of the matter is a strike is not a reality until a few hours

before it is activated. and a pay offer that was made yesterday morning, there was plenty of time for there to be negotiations and the strike to be called off or indeed for the rmt to do what most other trade unions would do which would be to put the offer to its membership, allow the membership to decide whether or not they still wanted strike action, once they had visibility of the offer. fir, strike action, once they had visibility of the offer. a little bit late in — visibility of the offer. a little bit late in the _ visibility of the offer. a little bit late in the day _ visibility of the offer. a little bit late in the day of- visibility of the offer. a little bit late in the day of the - visibility of the offer. a little i bit late in the day of the other visibility of the offer. a little - bit late in the day of the other was made yesterday morning, a little bit late in the day to ask the membership if they wanted to pursue strike action, don�*t you think? the strike action, don't you think? the nature of the _ strike action, don't you think? ti9 nature of the legislation in this country means the rmt have six months now when they can call strikes so the strikes today did not have to go ahead. the rmt would have lost nothing by saying we will pause, see what people think about the offer, maybe negotiate around it, they could have called subsequent strike dates, their mandate lasts until november so there was no reason to rush into this action, it�*s needless

disruption. it will cause their members and my colleagues at network rail serious financial harm, it will cost the railway financial harm and devastate lots of people, we have heard of students wanting to finish theirfinals, people in hospital, you know, people in this country who are facing a very poor service as a consequence, that is in no one �*s interests. consequence, that is in no one 's interests. , consequence, that is in no one 's interests-— consequence, that is in no one 's interests. , :, :, interests. let me put one thing to the boris johnson _ interests. let me put one thing to the boris johnson said _ interests. let me put one thing to the boris johnson said in - interests. let me put one thing to the boris johnson said in cabinet i the borisjohnson said in cabinet this morning, saying for the public to stay the course, i am talking about the language that was used. are you concerned that this is the start of perhaps more action? yes, we have two more 24—hour walk—out later this week but do you think more could follow? i later this week but do you think more could follow?— later this week but do you think more could follow? i hope that we can avoid those. _ more could follow? i hope that we can avoid those. those _ more could follow? i hope that we can avoid those. those further - can avoid those. those further strikes. i think the rmt have said they are prepared to take more action but at this stage, we�*ve got time to talk to them, to try and

thrash out the basis of a deal that is actually acceptable to our colleagues in network rail and actually allows us to run the services so... actually allows us to run the services so. . ._ actually allows us to run the services so... 9 9, ,:, ~' services so... would you like the government _ services so... would you like the government to — services so... would you like the government to get _ services so... would you like the government to get involved - services so... would you like the l government to get involved more? services so... would you like the i government to get involved more? i spoke to the representative of a pub chain who said the government needs to stop union bashing and get involved. i to stop union bashing and get involved. , 9 to stop union bashing and get involved. , : :, , :, , , involved. i very much doubt that pub chain boss has _ involved. i very much doubt that pub chain boss has his _ involved. i very much doubt that pub chain boss has his shareholders - chain boss has his shareholders round the negotiating table. and i do not think that as a model that works anywhere in the economy. these are quite detailed conversations, negotiations, around fundamental changes to working practices. the best people to do that or the union that represents colleagues and myself and my colleagues as leaders of the business and the government is the shareholder, it sets the context but it should not be involved in those detailed negotiations, it would create a wonderful media story but it would

not make resolving this any better at all, it would make it harder. do ou at all, it would make it harder. do you think this week of strikes might improve the pay offer, finally? i think that's going to be hard think that�*s going to be hard because we as network rail, will lose over perhaps as much as £150 million, that is less money i have to put into a pay offer and i do not see how strike action results in a better pay offer than the one we were ready to make yesterday evening, and we could not get the productivity unlocked. that is the key, unlocking the productivity to fund a decent pay award that i believe our workers to serve but we have to find a way to pay for that is notjust have to find a way to pay for that is not just a have to find a way to pay for that is notjust a further drag on the taxpayer. if you were to ask the people you asked about sympathy for the strike, the question you need to ask is do they want to pay more tax or do they want to see more efficiency in the railway? thank ou. in a moment, we�*ll speak to our correspondents

in glasgow and cardiff — but first let�*s cross to manchester and speak to nick garnett — what situation will passengers face there? are most people taking the advice to stay away, if they can? most are most people taking the advice to stay away, if they can?— stay away, if they can? most people seem to have _ stay away, if they can? most people seem to have taken _ stay away, if they can? most people seem to have taken that _ stay away, if they can? most people seem to have taken that advice. - seem to have taken that advice. northern rail which runs the services here have told people to stay away and not use the trains all week. which is quite a message for a company trying to sell tickets to get people on trains. on platform one at the moment we have the your train leaving in about 15 or 20 minutes, it�*s been coming in and out and what they are trying to do at this station is run trains to the north, south, east and west so you�*re getting liverpool services, trains to york, trains to london and southampton and also trains as far as preston. that seems to be working on an hourly basis but there are very few local services going at all. look over my shoulder, you will be able to see the destinations

board, it looks quite healthy, it looks like there�*s a lot of stations being visited but the truth is, really, that is every single stop that those trends are stopping at. it's that those trends are stopping at. it�*s not really as popular but if you look on the right, you will see half a dozen or so trains and they are the trends that are running. it is really the same services every hour so the train to york is going from here up to york and then coming back. there are no extra services and normally, as i have said, this is one of the busiest train stations in the country. is one of the busiest train stations in the country-— well, there�*s going to be an extremely limited service in scotland. our correspondent alexandra mckenzie is in glasgow for us — talk us through what�*s running and what isn�*t? not much is running, about 10% of trains. it has been very quiet here this morning. i think people have decided to stay away. there

certainly was not a rush hour here this morning. this is scotland, usually the busiest train station in scotland. around 60,000 people would come through here every day but certainly, not today. there is a very empty concourse behind me, all the chairs that would normally be busier, they are mostly empty and the departure board behind me, when i arrived earlier this morning it was completely empty, it would usually be full so it is not quite full today and also the destinations are much more limited. you can possibly see we have larkhall, lanark, london euston and also edinburgh waverley. i have spoken to some people who have come todayjust to find out why they decided to travel and not many commuters at all. there were quite a few people going to glastonbury. they were determined that they would get to their destination and also quite

optimistic that they would. there�*s also quite a lot of people on holiday. some people taken slightly unawares, did not realise there was a train strike. we spoke to one family from sweden, they were trying to get to london so they were going to get to london so they were going to sit it out for the next train and i havejust to sit it out for the next train and i have just spoken to a couple from canada. they are worried about their train on thursday. the next strike day, they are trying to get to london so they wanted more information. scotrail are actually striking today but they are impacted because they rely on network rail so there is around 200 trains running in scotland rather than the usual 2000 and that�*s quite limited, around the central belt area, mostly around the central belt area, mostly around edinburgh and glasgow so further afield than that, north and south, there will be absolutely no train services today. that�*s the plan again on thursday and again on saturday.

plan again on thursday and again on saturda . : 9, plan again on thursday and again on saturda . : :, :, ,, , :, saturday. alexander, thank you. our correspondent— saturday. alexander, thank you. our correspondent mark _ saturday. alexander, thank you. our correspondent mark hutchings - saturday. alexander, thank you. our correspondent mark hutchings is - saturday. alexander, thank you. our correspondent mark hutchings is in i correspondent mark hutchings is in cardiff and its looking quiet behind you. cardiff and its looking quiet behind ou. , , :, , :, you. yes, very few trains and actually not _ you. yes, very few trains and actually not many _ you. yes, very few trains and actually not many people - you. yes, very few trains and actually not many people on| you. yes, very few trains and - actually not many people on those trains. it�*s estimated that the level of rail service across wales is less than 10%, reckons it�*s about 2%, and it is a complete wipe—out in the north, mid and west wales, some services running on the valleys lines. tracks operated by network for wales. there is a limited service, threadbare service running from cardiff to london, one train every hour, normally a couple of trains every hour, it started later after 7am and will finish earlier

before 5pm and the fact that we are looking at the trains, it is quieter, people obviously heeding the advice on staying away or travelling by a different method or perhaps they are working from home and during the pandemic we all got used to the cat appearing in the corner of the same connection! rather than traipsing into the office. the welsh government is urging the uk government to try and bring a resolution to these talks and to end the dispute stop they are not backing the striker condemning it but they are calling for extra talks to be held involving the uk government. as far as those who are making the effort to travel, i�*ve spoken tojulia, a barry manilow superfan, she has come from belfast, she is heading to bristol, trying to get to bristol, to get to newcastle, to get back to dublin, one way or the other, if you are a barry manilow superfan, one way or the other, if you are a barry manilow super fan, where there

is a will, there is a way. quite barry manilow super fan, where there is a will, there is a way.— is a will, there is a way. quite a “ourne is a will, there is a way. quite a journey and _ is a will, there is a way. quite a journey and she _ is a will, there is a way. quite a journey and she is _ is a will, there is a way. quite a journey and she is certainly - is a will, there is a way. quite a - journey and she is certainly showing dedication. mark, thank you and thank you to alexandra and nick. i�*m joined now by our political correspondent iain watson. let�*s reflect if we can on what the prime minister had to say around the cabinet table earlier today. he talked about the rail strikes being in his words so wrong and so unnecessary and urged the country to stay the course. it�*s a pretty tough language, it doesn�*t sound like he�*s in the mood to give very much? he has in the mood to give very much? h9: has certainly been criticising the strikes and the potential long—term consequences of the strikes, talking about driving consumers from the railways and the consumers, the commuters effectively paying the wages of the rail staff so on the one hand he�*s been saying that but he�*s been talking about a sensible

compromise when it comes to pay and government ministers have stressed there is no pay freeze any longer on there is no pay freeze any longer on the railways or in the public services. it�*s clear he does not want to see an inflation busting increase because he thinks that would drive inflation up further so when he talks in the past about high skilled, high wage economy, the high wage bit of that is on hold for now. he�*s not saying either that there is a complete government led on exactly how much anybody in the rail industry should be given and network rail, who are party to this dispute, have suggested more money might be available should the rmt union except what they called modernisation but certainly more automation, fewer booking office staff. to some extent, yes, there is an uncompromising attack on the unions but it doesn�*t mean to say the dispute cannot be solved and this question of staying the course

suggests it will not be solved very likely this week, we may well get a full week of disruption including strikes on saturday. the full week of disruption including strikes on saturday.— full week of disruption including strikes on saturday. the boss of network rail, _ strikes on saturday. the boss of network rail, i _ strikes on saturday. the boss of network rail, i spoke _ strikes on saturday. the boss of network rail, i spoke to - strikes on saturday. the boss of network rail, i spoke to him - strikes on saturday. the boss of. network rail, i spoke to him some moments ago, i asked him whether the government could do any more to help the situation and he suggested not actually. but in terms of a compromise on pay, is there any suggestion the transport secretary has said anything to network rail or interested parties about work that pay offer could go, currently pitched at around 3%, to micro—percent followed by 1% later? 1% of that would be dependent on these reforms which the government very much want to see in place but in effect, the train operating companies, 13 of them involved in the dispute and network rail, but the dispute and network rail, but the train operating companies have new contracts from the government which specifies very clearly, it is the transport secretary in the

driving seat when it comes to industrial disputes. there are sections in those contracts specifically on industrial disputes, under the direction of the transport secretary and any changes to employment conditions have to be signed off by the secretary of state. to some extent, whatever is negotiated will still have to be approved by government and if you like, someone stands above the secretary of state, around £2 billion has been lost in revenue on the railways, fewer people using the trains after the pandemic. because of that, the huge amount of support which were in during the pandemic, i think the chancellor would have a say as to whether any extra cash would be available above that but the line taken by network rail is that there is lots of room for efficiency in the railway, some outdated practices and perhaps if they deal with those efficiencies they deal with those efficiencies they can pay but the government denies 3%, this four and no further

although it is true there are concerns about inflation notjust when it comes to the railways but whether any other groups of public service workers will make inflationary demands and potentially go on strike. i think there will be an incentive for the government to keep a down to what it sees as a reasonable level but... loss of sound room for manoeuvre. 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. our correspondent in kyiv — joe inwood — has been so what we understand they�*re trying to do is to push through ukrainian lines in the city of severodonetsk and then try and encircle, coming in specifically from the north through a town called slavyansk, although in that situation,

they have been repelled. but in severodonetsk, which has been the realfocus of russia�*s invasion for the last few weeks, we understand they are really pushing ukrainian forces back and back. they have taken most of the city now and the ukrainians have been pushed just into one factory. it�*s called the azot chemical plant and that�*s where the last ukrainian defenders are holding out, along with a number of civilians who are sheltering there. now, sergei haidai, the governor of the region that you mentioned before, has said that this fight is getting increasingly difficult and that the russians are shelling heavily the only route into and out of the city of donetsk. this is a highway that runs from a town called lysychansk, which is just next to severodonetsk into the rest of the donbas, into the rest of ukrainian territory. so the russians closing the vice, as it were, on the last ukrainian forces in this bit of territory. and as you say, joe, we have been talking about severodonetsk for several weeks now, and this particular operation. is that a measure of the russians

deliberately going slowly, or is it to do with the response by the ukrainians? give us a sense of the relative forces at play here. i think it very much depends on who you listen to. it�*s one thing that�*s worth pointing out to viewers is that it�*s very difficult to get information out of severodonetsk. all the lines, phone lines, are down. and so we really only have the reports that come from each side. now, the russians say they�*re going methodically. they�*re going slowly. the ukrainians say that they�*re fighting tooth and nail and they�*re inflicting heavy casualties. i�*m sure the truth of the matter lies somewhere between the two. but i think the russians, their suggestion that they�*re taking their time doesn�*t really hold that much water. i think they have in the past tried to do things as quickly as they can, but that attempt, as they tried here in the capital, failed. and i think now probably the reason they�*re going slowly is because they�*re being held up. and when they try and push in quickly, they�*re suffering very heavy losses. their default kind of modus operandi, the way they like to operate is with heavy artillery, basically pound the defensive positions

of the ukrainians into submission. but that takes time. they�*re in basements, they�*re in bunkers, and it�*s difficult to know that you�*ve cleared an area if the people are underground taking cover. so i think they�*re being forced into going slowly, which is the ukrainian strategy. the ukrainians here need time. they need time to get their reserves trained. western equipment to the front. and so what they�*re trying to do is delay the russians as long as they can. and i think the longer this goes on, the more the scales are tipped in favour of ukrainians. and will there be any safe passage or prospect of any safe passage for those civilians still in severodonetsk, joe? i think that time has probably passed. there was talk of a humanitarian corridor unilaterally set up by the russians, but the ukrainians and british intelligence said this as well. the ukrainians have said that that was a ploy. it was an attempt to try and change the battlefield situation, to pretend that they were going to offer safe passage and then take those civilians into russian

territory and also use it to get a military advantage over the ukrainians. to have safe passage, to have a humanitarian corridor, you really need cooperation between both sides. you need trust in both sides. and i think that�*s something which has been in very short supply. and i don�*t think we�*ll be seeing any civilians come out of the azot plant before this fighting is over, although as ever, it�*s difficult to say anything with certainty in this conflict. and just to touch on the issue of food security, which, of course, we�*ve talked about over the past weeks and months, and president zelensky, he�*s been addressing the african union. he�*s called africa a hostage of russia�*s war. is there any prospect, any movement on getting that grain out of ukraine to where it�*s needed? yeah. so we�*re talking about 20 million tons that are stuck in ukrainian silos and far more that�*s going to be harvested soon. as you say, they can�*t get it out. the black sea is blockaded by the russians and the whole area

is mined as well. sea mines that were put there to resist any russian invasion over the sea. and so you need careful negotiation. there are talks taking place, we understand, or the turks are trying to facilitate something, but it doesn�*t look like there�*s going to be that much movement there. this has become 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 that�*s behind this, although of course, the russians are saying that it�*s not their fault and it�*s the fault of western sanctions. it is time for a look at the weather forecast. 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. 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 84 million pounds 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. good morning. as swimming takes the step to ban trangender athletes if they�*ve been through any stage of make puberty —

rugby league has now barred transgender players from women�*s international matches. international rugby league said it needed more time before finalising its policy, but it wanted to "balance the individual�*s right to participate. against perceived risk to other participants". advocacy groups say the policy violates human rights. the ban will apply to the world cup in england in october. the ban will apply to the world cup in england in october, and the chief executive of the eventjohn dutton has told the bbc: we have proudly set out to break new ground and become an inclusive competition with men�*s, women�*s and wheelchair tournaments taking place at the same time. but it is important that the irl carefully considers its position. we understand the need for further research to ensure the future of the sport. is able to continue the recent progress made in a manner that is equitable, safe, and fair for all." world rugby have announced that elite players will face an increased minimum of 12 days out of action following concussions, meaning most would miss their next match. it follows rugby—specific research

by independent experts. currently, a player can play a week after a failed head injury assessment if they pass return—to—play protocols. today the rfu have said all players in the premiership, women�*s premier 15s and england sides will be offered microchipped mouthguards that can help detect concussion. team england has named its 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. 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. 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 retiring 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. many players were jealous because i was playing with her and honestly, serena is a legend and will always be. and the fact that she is returning and i get to be part of

herjourney, it is really unbelievable. you know, she did a lot for our sport and i really respect her, respect her story and respect her, respect her story and respect everything that she has been through. i hope i can learn even like 2% from it. i hope i can learn even like 2% from it. you can keep up to date on all the action in eastbourne... britains ryan peniston in action at the moment — dan evans and katie boulter play later today — and across the wimbledon qualifiers... back to our main story. 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 walkouts due to an ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions.

and with inflation predicted to hit 11 %, and wages not keeping pace, many industries are now looking to ballot on strike action. professor ethan ilzetzki is from the london school of economics and has been looking at inflation in the uk. thank you for your time today. the rmt are asking for a 7% pay rise, inflation is expected to 11% by the autumn but the government has been saying to workers, you know, if you ask for too much on your wages you are going to risk spiralling inflation. on the other hand, we have had the unions say wages are not linked to inflation so what is the truth of the matter? 50. not linked to inflation so what is the truth of the matter?- not linked to inflation so what is the truth of the matter? so, i think it is both understandable _ the truth of the matter? so, i think it is both understandable and - it is both understandable and predictable that workers will be asking for pay increases when

inflation is as high as it is. as a factual matter, it is true that if wages go up, that will further or viscous further exacerbating the inflationary problems, having said that, i think it is entirely legitimate and expected that workers would want their wages to keep up inflation so the way to get out of this bind is not to demand that workers see their wages, their purchasing power of their wages go down but rather to try to contain the inflationary pressures, that are making them want to keep up with. so thatis making them want to keep up with. so that is how i put it. white makes containing those inflationary pressures, what else think the government could be doing or should be doing, in your view? government could be doing or should be doing, in yourview? in government could be doing or should be doing, in your view? in terms of containing inflationary pressures, this is the job of the bank of england, the bank of england is, has

a mandate to keep inflation at around 2%. obviously, inflation is well above that target. and the bank of england could and in my view should do more to try to bring prices down and both inflation itself and the bank of england�*s measures to contain inflation will harm certain groups in society, often the most vulnerable groups and i think that the government can then go and try to help out those that are most affected by inflation and rising interest rates that try to contain them.— rising interest rates that try to contain them. , , , , contain them. does history sure is that when inflation _ contain them. does history sure is that when inflation is _ contain them. does history sure is that when inflation is on _ contain them. does history sure is that when inflation is on the - that when inflation is on the increase that we see more strikes? that we see those demands for increases in real wages, effectively?— increases in real wages, effectivel ? ~ , effectively? absolutely. so, you know, effectively? absolutely. so, you know. the _ effectively? absolutely. so, you know, the last _ effectively? absolutely. so, you know, the last big _ effectively? absolutely. so, you know, the last big inflation - effectively? absolutely. so, you| know, the last big inflation surge

of the late 1970s and early 1980s was accompanied by, you know, those of us who are older enough to remember will remember the coal miners and other strikes in the uk, there are strikes in the united states and continental europe so this is a well—known phenomena that inflation is high, workers do try to keep up with inflation and understandably so.- keep up with inflation and understandably so. keep up with inflation and understandabl so. :, understandably so. good to get your thou r hts understandably so. good to get your thoughts on — understandably so. good to get your thoughts on this. _ good to get your thoughts on this. it isa it is a sense of how things are looking there.— it is a sense of how things are looking there. it is a sense of how things are lookinr there. 9, ::, , :, looking there. you can see there are screens an — looking there. you can see there are screens an ion _ looking there. you can see there are screens an ion at _ looking there. you can see there are screens an ion at the _ looking there. you can see there are screens an ion at the moment - looking there. you can see there are screens an ion at the moment and l looking there. you can see there are screens an ion at the moment and it| screens an ion at the moment and it focus in on them, there are three big wins at the top level left to

right we have got bristol, manchester and the m6 just north of birmingham. the ordinarily very busy junctions and you can see a lot of traffic on them that everything is moving quite smoothly and i think the impression that they have had todayis the impression that they have had today is that things have not been as bad as expected. in fact, the moment, for normal tuesday, traffic levels are a little lighter than usual. it would appear that a lot of people have chosen to work from home or work from a different office or take an extra day of leave. frank is the senior network planner for national highways. you have a lot of planning to do so that is involved getting extra patrols out there. i don�*t guess that you are really sure what is going to happen and it has turned out to be not as bad as predicted. turned out to be not as bad as predicted-— turned out to be not as bad as aredicted. : , 9 , :, predicted. absolutely. we picked our res . onses predicted. absolutely. we picked our responses somewhere _ predicted. absolutely. we picked our responses somewhere between - predicted. absolutely. we picked our responses somewhere between a - predicted. absolutely. we picked our- responses somewhere between a normal tuesday— responses somewhere between a normal tuesday and _ responses somewhere between a normal tuesday and a bank holiday weekend. and actually as it has turned out,

that has— and actually as it has turned out, that has been the lower end. it was busy for— that has been the lower end. it was busy for the — that has been the lower end. it was busy for the morning particularly in and out _ busy for the morning particularly in and out of— busy for the morning particularly in and out of towns and city centres, it is about — and out of towns and city centres, it is about to — and out of towns and city centres, it is about to come down now. just between it is about to come down now. inst between eight and nine it peaked and that it has tailed back again but you�*re not quite sure how to plan for this afternoon, are you? it is an unusual day. ordinarily i guess the traffic would start a band for 30 but perhaps it will be a slightly different time. that 30 but perhaps it will be a slightly different time.— different time. that is what is frustrating — different time. that is what is frustrating some _ different time. that is what is frustrating some of— different time. that is what is frustrating some of our - different time. that is what is - frustrating some of our planning. the weather is absolutely gorgeous so people _ the weather is absolutely gorgeous so people might decide to leave a little bit _ so people might decide to leave a little bit earlier and as long as everybody does not leave at the same time we _ everybody does not leave at the same time we should be fine. that everybody does not leave at the same time we should be fine.— time we should be fine. that is a very different — time we should be fine. that is a very different scenario, - time we should be fine. that is a very different scenario, if- time we should be fine. that is a very different scenario, if the - very different scenario, if the strike at happen to three years ago when people headed into the office, the whole world has changed since then and peoples behaviour has changed? then and peoples behaviour has chanred? : , ~ then and peoples behaviour has chanred? : , : :, then and peoples behaviour has chanred? : , , ~ :, :, changed? absolutely. and what we are seeinr is changed? absolutely. and what we are seeing is people _ changed? absolutely. and what we are seeing is people are _ changed? absolutely. and what we are seeing is people are working _ changed? absolutely. and what we are seeing is people are working from - seeing is people are working from home _ seeing is people are working from

home two— seeing is people are working from home two days a week. obviously, we have been— home two days a week. obviously, we have been signing the rail strike was going — have been signing the rail strike was going to be on over 100 countries _ was going to be on over 100 countries across our network. since thursday. _ countries across our network. since thursday, that is a lot of people who have — thursday, that is a lot of people who have taken that advice and they are finding _ who have taken that advice and they are finding alternative and innovative ways to carry on working. thank _ innovative ways to carry on working. thank you — innovative ways to carry on working. thank you i — innovative ways to carry on working. thank you. i guess when it beatings will be, the real test will be on friday, the busiest day especially when the weather is nice and it is busy anyway so it depends how many extra people are on the reds fan. i live in worcester, city were three busy rail stations. all three are shut until sunday. no trains at all in places like worcester, gloucester, on the train station is in between and yet, this morning, coming out of worcester, the topics and quieter than normal so doesn�*t bite people have probably at home a little bit more than they ordinarily would. i little bit more than they ordinarily would. 9. little bit more than they ordinarily would. :, :, , :, :, would. i want to bring in a few of our would. i want to bring in a few of your tweets- _ would. i want to bring in a few of your tweets- l — would. i want to bring in a few of your tweets. i have _ would. i want to bring in a few of your tweets. i have worked - would. i want to bring in a few of your tweets. i have worked for i would. i want to bring in a few of. your tweets. i have worked for the railway for over 20 years and with a heavy heart, and as a last resort i

voted to strike the first time full stop this is becoming for three years put up a lot of colleagues and i have been putting money aside for top unfortunately i expect this to last months. i thinkjust time for one or two more. i am working from home for talbot as an inconvenience but i fully support the strikes against what he calls the greedy train operators. and one from sustainable britain, this may be old school but it was not the unions bowed by the word solidarity. these are extreme times, kier starmer. nothing has settled since covid. so you can keep your thoughts coming into me on the strikes. do you support them or not? what sort of impact are they having on you? you can do that on twitter. you can do that on twitter. the russian journalist and nobel peace laureate, dmitry muratov, has auctioned his nobel medalforjust over 103—million dollars — that�*s around 84 million pounds. mr muratov said all the money will go to help refugees from the war in ukraine. he won the nobel peace prize

alongside the filipinia 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 - 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. - 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 every day? 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. an independent inquiry has found that a belfast health trust failed to intervene quickly enough of the doctor was led to northern ireland�*s largest ever patient recall. more than 5000 patient of a neurologist called to have their cases examined for possible misdiagnoses. the inquiry found numerous failures and that the consultant or problem within the consultant�*s work were missed by a decade by a fifth of patients had been given an appropriate management plan for their condition, while a similar number had not been issued with an appropriate prescription for dobbe talking about conditions like stroke, parkinson�*s disease and multiple sclerosis. the department

recommended that things should be reviewed and found a culture of medical professionals are apprehensive about raising concerns about practice of a colleague. that news just in two hours. today marks a big birthday for the duke of cambridge — he turns 40 years old. it comes at a time of increasing responsibility for prince william — as our royal correspondent, daniela relph, reports. for 40 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.

more than 40,000 rmt members at all levels are expected to be taking part in industrial action, because proposals affect them all — including lower paid staff like apprentices and station staff. this makes it the biggest rail dispute since 1989. but what are the reasons behind such a big decision from the unions? here�*s ben thompson to explain for us. the transport union, the rmt says this is a dispute over job security, a freeze on pay, and what it sees as poor management of the industry. it says network rail�*s plans to cut two and a half thousand maintenance jobs would make accidents more likely because the roles are safety critical. it adds that many rail workers have had their pay frozen for nearly three years despite working throughout the pandemic. and the rmt�*s leaders say, despite weeks of negotiations, they�*ve only been offered a 2 percent pay rise. network rail disputes that — saying they�*ve offered 3 %. that�*s a 2% rise, plus another 1% if they meet efficiency and productivity targets.

the union says that�*s not enough — as the cost of living soars — and are asking for 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief that the only way for us to settle this dispute is for grant shops and the government to allow these companies to negotiate, and let parties reach a reasonable agreement. that will enter the disruption of the service. will secure jobs enter the disruption of the service. will securejobs and enter the disruption of the service. will secure jobs and allow a decent transport system to be developed in this country. but the transport secretary, grant shapps, said it was a "stunt" to suggest he was interfering in talks, and described the strikes as "a bid to derail reforms". you know longer need to have people walking along dangerously along tracks to check those tracks. it is better, more efficient, safer to use trains that can take 70,000 images per minute to check those tracks and

uses fewer employees so there are good reasons why that is the kind of modernisation which improve safety, which is being held back. he says a change in working habits, brought about by the pandemic means the uk rail industry needs to modernise to survive — but is that the case? figures from the office for road and rail show that by march 2022, passenger numbers were about 60% of pre—pandemic levels. that could suggest long—term changes in our travel habits — with more of us now working from home, for at least some of the time. but, more recently passenger numbers have been rising. the latest data shows that by may, the number of passengers had risen to between 86 and 92 percent of pre—covid levels. the unions say there are also bigger problems with the way the industry is run. 16 billion pounds was pumped into the industry by taxpayers during the pandemic to keep the network going... but the rmt says that this helped boost profits for private businesses, subcontractors, and operators who they claim made £500 million

in profit last year. on top of that, there�*s the cost of leasing passenger carriages and other train vehicles, the so—called �*rolling stock�*, from private companies. the rmt says that�*s helped those firms make a record 3 billion pounds in revenue in 2021. we asked network rail and the department for transport about this figure, but they said they weren�*t sure how it had been calculated and couldn�*t provide an alternative. everyone agrees that the rail industry needs reforming, but there are still big questions about how that�*s done: where money is saved or invested; and how best to predict demand to make the service fit for the future. 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, 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. we need to get ready to stay the course, to stay the course, because these reforms, these improvements 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 it. the lies they are telling about railway workers and the railway industry are outrageous. how is the strike affecting you? are you working from home or did

you have a trickyjounrey to work? no trains are running north of edinburgh. i will see how commuters are being affected. do you support the strikes or not? we�*d like to hear your thoughts. get in touch with me on twitter @annitabbc and use the #bbcyourquestions. 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 84 million pounds 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 afternoon and welcome to bbc news. millions of people are facing travel chaos — due to the biggest rail stike in 30 years, across england, scotland and wales. members of the rail, maritime and transport workers union are staging the first of three national walkouts because of 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, in a cabinet meeting, borisjohnson told travellers to brace for �*unnecessary aggravation�* and called for a �*sensible compromise�* on union pay demands. we�*ll be live in aberdeen and london euston 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. it is ridiculous. i work for the nhs, i have to be there on time and i get it, things are tough right now but i think we should all fulfil our duty and do our role. it is quiet this morning, a lot of people that aren't here. that would normally be here, catching the train for work. we are having to close early. i've got sympathy with them, i i realise it's a challenging time for everyone, everyone would like a pay rise, l everyone has the threat i of redundancy and job cuts after the pandemic. but we are trying to restart

the economy and this - week will be a real dent - to the economy unfortunately. 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. network rail says services need to be modernised, in part, due to changing passenger habits. something the government agrees with. we�*ve got to have reform and we�*ve got to have reform in the way the railways work. and it cannot be right that some ticket offices, i think, are selling roughly one ticket per hour. we need to get those staff out from behind plate glass onto the platforms, interacting with passengers, with customers in the way that they want to do. the rmt says the reforms mean job cuts and workers need a pay rise to reflect 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 see, if we can negotiate a deal, we will, but otherwise we will look at what campaigns we will put on going forward and we think other unions willjoin us 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 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�*ll speak to our correspondent ben philip in aberdeen, but first let�*s cross to euston and speak to tim muffett — what situation will passengers face there? typically, london euston is one of the busiest train stations, today it has been anything but. services have

been running, fewer than around a fifth of what you would normally expect. i�*ve been talking to some passengers here and asking them why when we have all been advised not to travel, why they are here and the answer has pretty much been, those journeys are essential. family commitments, one family travelling to a wedding, anotherfamily travelling from america who had pre—booked a ticket to get to penrith. most people i have spoken to have been forewarned and they knew the strike was happening so i haven�*t detected visceral anger, more a weary resignation that today will be a bad day to travel but i do get the impression from many passengers that if this goes on for more than a week, as some people fear, patients could start to snap. i�*ve been talking to people on the picket line outside the station and they say their members are in for they say their members are in for the long haul although of course they hope that does not happen. as things stand, things seem pretty pessimistic, full size very far

apart. pessimistic, full size very far a-art. 9. ~ pessimistic, full size very far a-art. 9, ~' pessimistic, full size very far a-art. :, ,, , pessimistic, full size very far a-art. :, , , apart. thank you. then philip is in aberdeen- — apart. thank you. then philip is in aberdeen. tell— apart. thank you. then philip is in aberdeen. tell us _ apart. thank you. then philip is in aberdeen. tell us what _ apart. thank you. then philip is in aberdeen. tell us what services i apart. thank you. then philip is in i aberdeen. tell us what services are running, can passengers make any journeys? ih running, can passengers make any “ourne s? : . . running, can passengers make any “ourne s? : , , , journeys? in aberdeen, this is usually the — journeys? in aberdeen, this is usually the busiest _ journeys? in aberdeen, this is usually the busiest railway - journeys? in aberdeen, this is - usually the busiest railway station north of edinburgh and glasgow but today, as you see, it�*s a really quiet, no trains arriving or departing. the only services running in scotland today are in central scotland around edinburgh and glasgow, on a limited basis. scotrail says it has cancelled up to 90% of train services in scotland because of strike action, local business leaders in aberdeen had warned the strikes could effectively isolate communities outside central scotland and harm the recovering economy, for example, the station here in aberdeen is attached to a shopping centre so less people

arriving and departing from here means less footfall for the shops and bars in this area. aberdeen is also the gateway to the north sea oil and gas industry so it is expected that workers who work in the industry could be impacted by the industry could be impacted by the strike action this week. we�*ve spoken to an oil worker for the western isles, arriving back here in aberdeen on thursday from the north sea and he is struggling to find an alternative route to get home to the western isles. in terms of other knock—on effects and disruption, there hasn�*t been much to report in there hasn�*t been much to report in the commuter towns including inverurie in aberdeenshire, it appears many people listened to advice to travel if absolutely necessary or if they found other modes of transport or worked from home. furtherstrike modes of transport or worked from home. further strike action is planned for thursday and saturday this week but we expect to see disruption throughout the whole week because of staff shortages and the

advice for people is to plan ahead for their journeys. advice for people is to plan ahead for theirjourneys.— advice for people is to plan ahead for theirjourneys. for their “ourneys. ben, thank you for their “ourneys. ben, thank you for rive for theirjourneys. ben, thank you for give us — for theirjourneys. ben, thank you for give us a _ for theirjourneys. ben, thank you for give us a sense _ for theirjourneys. ben, thank you for give us a sense of— for theirjourneys. ben, thank you for give us a sense of what - for theirjourneys. ben, thank you for give us a sense of what is - for give us a sense of what is happening. i�*mjoined by richard burgin who was at the picket line at victoria station earlier today. thank you for talking to us. formerly labour front bench, not currently, technically i guess not defying those orders from sir keir starmer and the party whips for front bench members and private secretaries not to the picket line but was there a decision to be made for you or were you always going to go? i for you or were you always going to o? ., , for you or were you always going to o? :, for you or were you always going to go? i was always going to go to the ricket go? i was always going to go to the picket line- — go? i was always going to go to the picket line- l _ go? i was always going to go to the picket line. i was _ go? i was always going to go to the picket line. i was at _ go? i was always going to go to the picket line. i was at a _ go? i was always going to go to the picket line. i was at a line - picket line. i was at a line supporting unison members in leeds yesterday and the rmt and victoria station today. the labour party was founded by the trade unions, including the nur, the precursor to

the rmt and it is important during a cost of living emergency, people are having huge real term cuts to their wages and prices are going up, it is important as a labour mp that i show iam on important as a labour mp that i show i am on the side of ordinary people who are struggling to get by. people cannot wait until the next general election to get paid justice, they need it now and the rmt members have been left with no choice by this government other than to take this action. the government are revelling in it but the rmt members, the cleaners, maintenance workers, ticket office staff, need our support and to stand up for pay, conditions, and for public safety. was keir starmer wrong to make that order? it was keir starmer wrong to make that order? . was keir starmer wrong to make that order? , :, :, :, , , :, order? it is not an approach i would take. i order? it is not an approach i would take- lthink— order? it is not an approach i would take. i think it's _ order? it is not an approach i would take. i think it's right _ order? it is not an approach i would take. i think it's right for— order? it is not an approach i would take. i think it's right for labour- take. i think it�*s right for labour mps to go to the picket line and show support for workers defending their pay, terms and conditions and to listen to workers. i was speaking to listen to workers. i was speaking to a worker this morning at the

picket line who is on £24,000 a year and is really struggling to get by. it is important members of parliament here at those stories, especially when the government is smearing railway workers in such a way, saying they are all really well—paid, making out somehow that railway workers, cleaners, are somehow greedy whilst at the same time, the conservative government is talking about lifting the cap on city banker bosses bonuses. it�*s important we take the side of the majority working people across the board during this cost—of—living emergency. across the board, workers in the rail industry and more widely, deserve a pay rise, people cannot cope with these cuts to wages in real terms and the increasing prices. in real terms and the increasing arices. ~ w' in real terms and the increasing arices. ~ , 9 in real terms and the increasing arices. , : :, ~ prices. mick lynch from the rmt said it didn't matter— prices. mick lynch from the rmt said it didn't matter to _ prices. mick lynch from the rmt said it didn't matter to him _ prices. mick lynch from the rmt said it didn't matter to him if _ prices. mick lynch from the rmt said it didn't matter to him if sir - prices. mick lynch from the rmt said it didn't matter to him if sir keir - it didn�*t matter to him if sir keir starmer backed him or not, that is a worry for the labour party, isn�*t it? the rmt is not affiliated to the

labour party but you have described labour party but you have described labour as the party of the working people so that must be a huge concern for the labour party? i think it is a big mistake for the labour leadership to distance itself from working class people who have been forced by this terrible government and by these train companies who are still making hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds in profit to be forced into this action. it�*s important to show which side you are on and i think the rmt have done a greatjob in explaining to the public what this is really about. of course the rmt regret the inconvenience and problems caused to people by this strike but they�*ve been left with no other option. strike but they've been left with no other option-— strike but they've been left with no other o-tion. 9 :, i. ~ other option. would you urge the rmt at the end of— other option. would you urge the rmt at the end of this _ other option. would you urge the rmt at the end of this week _ other option. would you urge the rmt at the end of this week of _ other option. would you urge the rmt at the end of this week of strikes, - at the end of this week of strikes, would you urge the rmt to get back into discussions and do you think there ask of 7% is reasonable? i think the position of the rmt is

very reasonable and they made clear they are always willing to negotiate. in sharp contrast the performance of the secretary of state for transport, grant shapps, enjoying his kind of thatcherite revival act in parliament yesterday, behaving in a very immature way, kicking the trade unions but also, also demeaning cleaners, ticket staff and railway safety operatives, the very people that the transport secretary quite rightly referred to as true heroes back in 2020. the key workers, and they deserve to be treated far better than this. the government is blocking a resolution to this strike because they think it suits their purposes. [30 to this strike because they think it suits their purposes.— suits their purposes. do you think the rmt should _ suits their purposes. do you think the rmt should continue - suits their purposes. do you think the rmt should continue with - suits their purposes. do you think. the rmt should continue with further strikes would you encourage them to call it quits at the end of this week in terms of strike action and continue purely with negotiations? that is a matter for the rmt. continue purely with negotiations? that is a matterfor the rmt. they

will do what they think is necessary. they are a democratic and independent organisation, their members who were at the end of their tether with how they have been treated, voted overwhelmingly to take strike action, ultimately it is rmt members who will decide what is acceptable. i rmt members who will decide what is acce atable. 9. rmt members who will decide what is acce atable. :, ,:, rmt members who will decide what is acce-table. :, , :, :, acceptable. i am so sorry we are out of time but — acceptable. i am so sorry we are out of time but thank _ acceptable. i am so sorry we are out of time but thank you _ acceptable. i am so sorry we are out of time but thank you for _ acceptable. i am so sorry we are out of time but thank you for your - acceptable. i am so sorry we are out of time but thank you for your time | of time but thank you for your time today. you�*re watching bbc news... andrew haines is chief executive of network rail, which looks after the rail infrastructure. he�*s been giving me his reaction to today�*s industrial action. there is a very real cost of living challenge, nobody in this country could deny that. and we want to be in a position to give our colleagues at network rail a decent pay award and the best way to do that is for the rmt to agree to get rid of some of the 1960s and 70s working practices and make the railway

deeply inefficient at the moment. if we can do that and i believe there is a willingness amongst our colleagues to do that, we can give them a decent pay rise and make the railway is more attractive to the users. 9 9. railway is more attractive to the users. 9 :, :, :, :, :, users. we have heard a lot about workinr users. we have heard a lot about working practices _ users. we have heard a lot about working practices and _ users. we have heard a lot about working practices and reform, i working practices and reform, without i think an awful lot of detail on what that reform is. boris johnson in the clip... it detail on what that reform is. boris johnson in the clip. . ._ johnson in the clip... if you have time i johnson in the clip... if you have time i could _ johnson in the clip... if you have time i could give _ johnson in the clip... if you have time i could give you _ johnson in the clip... if you have time i could give you quite - johnson in the clip... if you have time i could give you quite a - johnson in the clip... if you have time i could give you quite a fewj time i could give you quite a few examples. i time i could give you quite a few examples-— time i could give you quite a few exam-les. , :, :, examples. i will get you to give me exam-les. examples. i will get you to give me examples. boris _ examples. i will get you to give me examples. boris johnson _ examples. i will get you to give me examples. boris johnson in - examples. i will get you to give me examples. boris johnson in the - examples. i will get you to give me examples. boris johnson in the clipj examples. borisjohnson in the clip be played earlier from the cabinet meeting talked about some ticket offices selling just one ticket per hour and i don�*t know if you know whether that is a reality but what sort of reforms are you talking about? i sort of reforms are you talking about? 9. . sort of reforms are you talking about? :, , :, :, :, about? i have seen the data and wireless network _ about? i have seen the data and wireless network rail _ about? i have seen the data and wireless network rail does - about? i have seen the data and wireless network rail does not. wireless network rail does not manage the ticket offices it is absolutely the case that i think less than 12% of tickets sold in britain are sold through a ticket office so you know, the idea that we stick with the ticket office procedures and practices and opening hours from an era when all tickets

were bought there, i think everyone would say why would we stick to the previous practice? there are lots of examples where we can make efficiencies at network rail. we have colleagues in different disciplines who refuse to go out in the same ban as each other so we send two fans out to site. we have fixed teams we have to send regardless of the size of the task. one team is not allowed to help another team unload the van. we have refusal to use technology which can save lives and make the railway more reliable. and interestingly, we have been very clear, we wrote again to the rmt last night, we believe all the rmt last night, we believe all the efficiencies we can make could be done through voluntary redundancy, so no compulsory redundancies. no imposing these things, by agreement, we could get the voluntary redundancies if only we could talk about some of the practices that i think most people we think are pretty outrageous in

the 21st century.— we think are pretty outrageous in the 21st century. that was the boss of network — the 21st century. that was the boss of network rail _ the 21st century. that was the boss of network rail speaking _ the 21st century. that was the boss of network rail speaking to - the 21st century. that was the boss of network rail speaking to me - of network rail speaking to me earlier. let me bring in some more of your tweets on this. merlin says we are convalescing as a country, trying to recover after covid and almost fighting a war and the new bob crow, the former leader of the rmt thinks it is fine to kick us when we are down. we would all like to earn more but we are trying to survive. michael says i am happy to see the rail strike is not affecting me, i am see the rail strike is not affecting me, iam retired buti see the rail strike is not affecting me, i am retired but i stand firmly with the rmt and any union who has a just cause to strike on behalf of its members. time for one more. this is from adrian. the rail strikes are causing disruption and this has a negative impact on individuals. but if those who maintain our safety on trains do not feel adequately better protected this will have much greater consequences in the long

run. please keep your comments coming in on the strikes and how they are affecting you. do you support them or not? you can do that on twitter and use the hashtag. 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. our correspondent in kyiv — joe inwood — has been giving us the latest. so what we understand they�*re trying to do is to push through ukrainian lines in the city of severodonetsk and then try and encircle, coming in specifically from the north through a town called slavyansk, although in that situation, they have been repelled. but in severodonetsk, which has been the realfocus of russia�*s invasion for the last few weeks, we understand they are really pushing ukrainian forces back and back. they have taken most of the city now and the ukrainians have been pushed just into one factory. it�*s called the azot chemical plant

and that�*s where the last ukrainian defenders are holding out, along with a number of civilians who are sheltering there. now, sergei haidai, the governor of the region that you mentioned before, has said that this fight is getting increasingly difficult and that the russians are shelling heavily the only route into and out of the city of severodonetsk. this is a highway that runs from a town called lysychansk, which is just next to severodonetsk into the rest of the donbas, into the rest of ukrainian territory. so the russians closing the vice, as it were, on the last ukrainian forces in this bit of territory. and as you say, joe, we have been talking about severodonetsk for several weeks now, and this particular operation. is that a measure of the russians deliberately going slowly, or is it to do with the response by the ukrainians? give us a sense of the relative forces at play here. i think it very much depends on who you listen to. it�*s one thing that�*s worth pointing out to viewers is that it�*s very difficult to get information out of severodonetsk. all the lines, phone

lines, are down. and so we really only have the reports that come from each side. now, the russians say they�*re going methodically. they�*re going slowly. the ukrainians say that they�*re fighting tooth and nail and they�*re inflicting heavy casualties. i�*m sure the truth of the matter lies somewhere between the two. but i think the russians, their suggestion that they�*re taking their time doesn�*t really hold that much water. i think they have in the past tried to do things as quickly as they can, but that attempt, as they tried here in the capital, failed. and i think now probably the reason they�*re going slowly is because they�*re being held up. and when they try and push in quickly, they�*re suffering very heavy losses. their default kind of modus operandi, the way they like to operate is with heavy artillery, basically pound the defensive positions of the ukrainians into submission. but that takes time. they�*re in basements, they�*re in bunkers, and it�*s difficult to know that you�*ve cleared an area if the people are underground taking cover. so i think they�*re being forced into going slowly, which is the ukrainian strategy.

the ukrainians here need time. they need time to get their reserves trained. western equipment to the front. and so what they�*re trying to do is delay the russians as long as they can. and i think the longer this goes on, the more the scales are tipped in favour of ukrainians. and will there be any safe passage or prospect of any safe passage for those civilians still in severodonetsk, joe? i think that time has probably passed. there was talk of a humanitarian corridor unilaterally set up by the russians, but the ukrainians and british intelligence said this as well. the ukrainians have said that that was a ploy. it was an attempt to try and change the battlefield situation, to pretend that they were going to offer safe passage and then take those civilians into russian territory and also use it to get a military advantage over the ukrainians. to have safe passage, to have a humanitarian corridor, you really need cooperation between both sides. you need trust in both sides. and i think that�*s something which has been in very short supply.

and i don�*t think we�*ll be seeing any civilians come out of the azot plant before this fighting is over, although as ever, it�*s difficult to say anything with certainty in this conflict. and just to touch on the issue of food security, which, of course, we�*ve talked about over the past weeks and months, and president zelensky, he�*s been addressing the african union. he�*s called africa a hostage of russia�*s war. is there any prospect, any movement on getting that grain out of ukraine to where it�*s needed? yeah. so we�*re talking about 20 million tons that are stuck in ukrainian silos and far more that�*s going to be harvested soon. as you say, they can�*t get it out. the black sea is blockaded by the russians and the whole area is mined as well. sea mines that were put there to resist any russian invasion over the sea. and so you need careful negotiation. there are talks taking place, we understand, or the turks are trying to facilitate something, but it doesn�*t look like there�*s going to be that much movement there.

this has become 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 that�*s behind this, although of course, the russians are saying that it�*s not their fault and it�*s the fault of western sanctions. the russian journalist and nobel peace laureate, dmitry muratov, has auctioned his nobel medalforjust over 103—million dollars — that�*s around £84—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 filipinia 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 - 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. - 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 every day? 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. if you�*re watching in the northern hemisphere — you�*ll probably know that today is the summer soltice. it's the longest day of the year and these are pictures from the world heritage site — stonehenge — in south west england. for the first time in two years people have been allowed to celebrate at the site. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. 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. in the odd spot of rain. the warm sunshine, it�*s 24 or degrees. in the warm sunshine, it�*s 24 or 5 degrees. as we head on this evening

and overnight, low cloud pressures and overnight, low cloud pressures and across northern and western scotland. there�*ll also be patchy missed forming across north—west england but in between, some clear skies, the overnight lows of 9—13 . patchy mist will lift rabidly tomorrow and for england, wales and eastern scotland, lots of dry weather and sunshine. still more cloud in the north and west but further east across northern ireland, and scotland, you run into sunny intervals. temperatures tomorrow ranging from 12 in zurich up tomorrow ranging from 12 in zurich up to 26 or 27 degrees.

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. 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 84 million pounds 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. let�*s get more now on the rail strikes — ros atkins explains why they�*re taking place — from the perspectives of the rmt union, the rail companies, the government and the labour party. there�*s rail strike is one of the

uk's there�*s rail strike is one of the uk�*s largest four years. and it is being led by one union. uk's largest four years. and it is being led by one union.- uk's largest four years. and it is being led by one union. every worker in this country _ being led by one union. every worker in this country deserves _ being led by one union. every worker in this country deserves to _ in this country deserves to negotiate a pay rise, and bagan and their conditions. because if you are not bargaining for a strong trade union, you are begging.- union, you are begging. there bargaining _ union, you are begging. there bargaining on _ union, you are begging. there bargaining on behalf— union, you are begging. there bargaining on behalf of- union, you are begging. there - bargaining on behalf of thousands union, you are begging. there bargaining on behalf of thousands of workers. they are employed by the companies who operate the trains and network rail who operates the infrastructure and the rmt says it is time for a pay rise. it wants to make clear, in this graphic, it is not about train drivers, most of them belong to a different union. this is, it says, the signallers, cleaners and many others. members who are not high earners. for example, train guards eireann between 23 and £36,000. track maintenance workers between 16 and 34,000. but that in context, the median pay for all employees in the uk was close to £26,000 last year. in the rmt says its members deserve a rise. , , :, :, :, :, a rise. our members have not had a -a rise a rise. our members have not had a pay rise for— a rise. our members have not had a pay rise for op _ a rise. our members have not had a pay rise for up to — a rise. our members have not had a pay rise for up to three _ a rise. our members have not had a pay rise for up to three years - a rise. our members have not had a pay rise for up to three years so - pay rise for up to three years so inflation is now 11.1% on the rpa

scale. there are two years ahead of that where they have not had a pay deal. they are getting poorer. the rmt did secure a pay deal for some of its members. as for inflation, it is high but borisjohnson says that as a reason to show restraint. ii as a reason to show restraint. if wages continually chase the increase in prices _ wages continually chase the increase in prices then we risk a wage price spiral _ in prices then we risk a wage price s . iral. , in prices then we risk a wage price s-iral. , :, :, ,, :, spiral. the ft defines a wage spiral as... unions counter this idea arguing that energy prices are pushing up inflation, not wages. and for that analysis is contested, the government accepts wages, in this case, should rise. iho government accepts wages, in this case, should rise.— case, should rise. no one is suggesting _ case, should rise. no one is suggesting some _ case, should rise. no one is suggesting some kind - case, should rise. no one is suggesting some kind of. case, should rise. no one is| suggesting some kind of pay case, should rise. no one is - suggesting some kind of pay freezes required here. you�*ll want to see a sensible pay increase. but required here. you'll want to see a

sensible pay increase.— required here. you'll want to see a sensible pay increase. but of course there are different _ sensible pay increase. but of course there are different definitions - sensible pay increase. but of course there are different definitions of- there are different definitions of sensible. this is simon clarke�*s. link to that we need to see reform of some of the practices that make our railway are very unsustainable entity at the moment. we have to recognise that the way our rail network operates is not fit for the 20 20s. network operates is not fit for the 20 205. ., , network operates is not fit for the 2020s. ,, :, , network operates is not fit for the 2020s. :, , :, 20 20s. pay proposals have been made for of the rmt — 20 20s. pay proposals have been made for of the rmt wants _ 20 20s. pay proposals have been made for of the rmt wants a _ 20 20s. pay proposals have been made for of the rmt wants a 796 _ 20 20s. pay proposals have been made for of the rmt wants a 796 rise. - for of the rmt wants a 7% rise. network rail has offered a 2% raised with a further 1% to come full stop the rmt rejected that. it accepts restructuring as necessary and added we have got to assurance that the people who are working there today won�*t come out of that worse off than they went in. and while the union wants assurances so to do the train operating companies.— train operating companies. weaver the required _ train operating companies. weaver the required details _ train operating companies. weaver the required details and _ train operating companies. weaver the required details and an - the required details and an acceptance that reform can go ahead and then— acceptance that reform can go ahead and then that allows us to then work on how— and then that allows us to then work on how do— and then that allows us to then work on how do we get that. the companies roint beinr on how do we get that. the companies point being that _ on how do we get that. the companies point being that some _ on how do we get that. the companies point being that some reform - on how do we get that. the companies point being that some reform will - point being that some reform will have to be accepted before an offer can be made but the rmt has a further concern.— can be made but the rmt has a further concern. they have a plan to cut thousands _

further concern. they have a plan to cut thousands of _ further concern. they have a plan to cut thousands of jobs _ further concern. they have a plan to cut thousands of jobs of _ further concern. they have a plan to cut thousands of jobs of the - further concern. they have a plan to cut thousands of jobs of the railway| cut thousands ofjobs of the railway network between network rail and the train operators. we think that threatens the safety regime on our railways because they have to cut the maintenance regimes in order to cut thejobs. the the maintenance regimes in order to cut the jobs-— cut the jobs. the safety concern, thou r h, cut the jobs. the safety concern, though. is _ cut the jobs. the safety concern, though. is not — cut the jobs. the safety concern, though, is not accepted - cut the jobs. the safety concern, though, is not accepted by - cut the jobs. the safety concern, though, is not accepted by the i though, is not accepted by the employers. we though, is not accepted by the employers-— though, is not accepted by the em-lo ers. 9 :, :, : employers. we do need to reduce the number people _ employers. we do need to reduce the number people work— employers. we do need to reduce the number people work for _ employers. we do need to reduce the number people work for network- employers. we do need to reduce the number people work for network rail| number people work for network rail because _ number people work for network rail because that is one of the key ways that we _ because that is one of the key ways that we can — because that is one of the key ways that we can be more efficient and save _ that we can be more efficient and save money. we know we have to do that safely9 — save money. we know we have to do that safely. find save money. we know we have to do that safety-— that safely. and so we have a government _ that safely. and so we have a government demanding - that safely. and so we have a i government demanding reduced that safely. and so we have a _ government demanding reduced budgets and modernisation, employers seeking to deliver that in union saying this is neither safe norfair to deliver that in union saying this is neither safe nor fair and to deliver that in union saying this is neither safe norfair and the context of the pandemic. brute context of the pandemic. we committed — context of the pandemic. 9 committed £16 billion to support the railways through covid. as a result, they trains continue to operate, the industry survives, not a single railway worker had to be furloughed or lost theirjob, not one. it is or lost their “ob, not one. it is true. the — or lost theirjob, not one. it is true. the government - or lost theirjob, not one. it is true. the government did support the railways during the pandemic. the question is now, what should happen next, especially because covid has changed how we travel. passenger

numbers are down by a fete in part because of working from home. fewer journeys mean lower revenue especially on commuter routes like this one and this is the government�*s plan. this one and this is the government's plan. modernise railwa s. government's plan. modernise railways. make _ government's plan. modernise railways. make it _ government's plan. modernise railways. make it more - government's plan. modernise i railways. make it more productive and get the industry of taxpayer funded life support. the and get the industry of taxpayer funded life support.— and get the industry of taxpayer funded life support. the rmt argued covid has become _ funded life support. the rmt argued covid has become a _ funded life support. the rmt argued covid has become a smoke - funded life support. the rmt argued covid has become a smoke screen i funded life support. the rmt argued | covid has become a smoke screen for job cuts that were planned all along and although the rmt and the government had trading statements in public, they�*re not actually directly negotiating was that the unions are talking to the employers that though it says in reality the treasury in particular the opposition labour party says this. not only are they boycotting the talks, they�*re actually hobbling them and therefore that is why it is imperative that they step in. i�*d make the government denies a boycott but it is declining to intervene. it is not the case that were going to sit down — is not the case that were going to sit down the table directly with the trade _ sit down the table directly with the trade unions because that is not how the government ought to be behaving and we _ the government ought to be behaving and we are _ the government ought to be behaving and we are not the legal employer. to labour's— and we are not the legal employer. to labour's reader, though, this is to labour�*s reader, though, this is a political ploy. i

to labour's reader, though, this is a political ploy-— a political ploy. i don't want the strikes to go — a political ploy. i don't want the strikes to go ahead _ a political ploy. i don't want the strikes to go ahead but - a political ploy. i don't want the strikes to go ahead but he - a political ploy. i don't want the | strikes to go ahead but he does. a political ploy. i don't want the - strikes to go ahead but he does. he wants, mr speaker, he warrants the country to grind to a halt so he can feed off the division. the government _ feed off the division. the government denies - feed off the division. the government denies this, too. and there are also questions for labour. which party are you backing? brute there are also questions for labour. which party are you backing? we are backinr a which party are you backing? we are backing a deal- _ which party are you backing? we are backing a deal. we _ which party are you backing? we are backing a deal. we want _ which party are you backing? we are backing a deal. we want to - which party are you backing? we are backing a deal. we want to see - which party are you backing? we are backing a deal. we want to see the l backing a deal. we want to see the dispute avoided and it can be. mr; dispute avoided and it can be. my colleague has looked at labour, too. is it backing the striking rail workers? there�*s been no definitive answer. how much is a fair pay rise, thatis answer. how much is a fair pay rise, that is for the negotiations, the labour party says. and in these negotiations that are profound test for the government and its stated commitment to high wage economy, for labour and its relationship with the unions. the real employers in their efforts to run a business by changing tribal habits and for the and the leverage it has to serve its members. something is going to have to give. they know the latest

airline to warn that delays and cancellations will continue right through the summer. it comes after 30 flights carrying up to 5000 passengers were cancelled yesterday because of technical problems. these pictures emerged over the weekend showing a mountain of suitcases piling up, meaning that some passengers ended up flying without their bags. and i am joined now by two people who flew from heathrow to mauritius on friday and their luggage, we think, as part of that massive pile—up that we just saw. hello to you. you made it to mauritius. he flew with our mauritius. he flew with our mauritius first of all, is that correct? 9. mauritius first of all, is that correct?_ and | mauritius first of all, is that - correct?_ and was the correct? yeah, we did. and was the fliaht correct? yeah, we did. and was the fli r ht on correct? yeah, we did. and was the flight on time. _ correct? yeah, we did. and was the flight on time, first _ correct? yeah, we did. and was the flight on time, first of— correct? yeah, we did. and was the flight on time, first of all? - correct? yeah, we did. and was the flight on time, first of all? was - flight on time, first of all? was the flight on time at least if you

like it wasn�*t? you limit no, it was by two and half hours due to the technical difficulty at heathrow terminal two. technical difficulty at heathrow terminaltwo. did technical difficulty at heathrow terminal two. did you know when the flight did eventually take off that your luggage was not on it? me flight did eventually take off that your luggage was not on it? we had no idea. 0h. _ your luggage was not on it? we had no idea- oh. my— your luggage was not on it? we had no idea. oh, my goodness. - your luggage was not on it? we had no idea. oh, my goodness. they i your luggage was not on it? we had| no idea. oh, my goodness. they got to mauritius — no idea. oh, my goodness. they got to mauritius and _ no idea. oh, my goodness. they got to mauritius and then _ no idea. oh, my goodness. they got to mauritius and then you _ no idea. oh, my goodness. they got to mauritius and then you are - to mauritius and then you are waiting at the carousel for your bags to appear, i presume. tells what happened then. flare bags to appear, i presume. tells what happened then.— bags to appear, i presume. tells what happened then. are whole flight was kind of standing _ what happened then. are whole flight was kind of standing there _ what happened then. are whole flight was kind of standing there and - what happened then. are whole flight was kind of standing there and we - was kind of standing there and we are all— was kind of standing there and we are all looking around like, where are all looking around like, where are our— are all looking around like, where are our bags? no one really told us anything _ are our bags? no one really told us anything. and then we had to stand alone _ anything. and then we had to stand alone for— anything. and then we had to stand alone for hours. itjust anything. and then we had to stand alone for hours. it just wasn't very good _ alone for hours. it 'ust wasn't very ood. , :, ., ., alone for hours. it 'ust wasn't very good-i yeah. - alone for hours. it 'ust wasn't very good-i yeah. so | alone for hours. it 'ust wasn't very - goodi yeah, so once good. sorry, go ahead. yeah, so once we rot of good. sorry, go ahead. yeah, so once we got of the — good. sorry, go ahead. yeah, so once we got of the pain _ good. sorry, go ahead. yeah, so once we got of the pain there _ good. sorry, go ahead. yeah, so once we got of the pain there is _ good. sorry, go ahead. yeah, so once we got of the pain there is no - we got of the pain there is no communication from any of the star. we were made to stand in line and fill out a baggage reclaim form and then that was given to customs but since then we have not heard any news about the status of our luggage. so

news about the status of our lu aaae. news about the status of our lunae, ., news about the status of our lu~rae. :, :, news about the status of our lunaae, ., :, ., luggage. so you have no idea when it is arrivinr ? luggage. so you have no idea when it is arriving? no _ luggage. so you have no idea when it is arriving? no idea. _ luggage. so you have no idea when it is arriving? no idea. everyday - luggage. so you have no idea when it is arriving? no idea. everyday there i is arriving? no idea. everyday there is arriving? no idea. everyday there is arriving? no idea. everyday there is a new flight _ is arriving? no idea. everyday there is a new flight coming _ is arriving? no idea. everyday there is a new flight coming and - is arriving? no idea. everyday there is a new flight coming and we - is arriving? no idea. everyday there is a new flight coming and we are i is a new flight coming and we are speaking to reception asking is it ours, to have any update from any news? unfortunately they have not been able to get any information for us either. 9, been able to get any information for us either. :, :, , :, :, :, us either. how long you have left on our us either. how long you have left on your holiday? _ us either. how long you have left on your holiday? we — us either. how long you have left on your holiday? we are _ us either. how long you have left on your holiday? we are here _ us either. how long you have left on your holiday? we are here until- your holiday? we are here until saturday so _ your holiday? we are here until saturday so we've _ your holiday? we are here until saturday so we've got - your holiday? we are here until saturday so we've got a - your holiday? we are here until saturday so we've got a few - your holiday? we are here until. saturday so we've got a few more saturday so we�*ve got a few more days and it is lovely and were trained to make the most of it but we feel like just a few things have been ruined by the lack of not having our luggage and necessities with us. :, i. �* having our luggage and necessities with us. :, �* , with us. how if you've been managing? _ with us. how if you've been managing? well, _ with us. how if you've been managing? well, luckily, i with us. how if you've beenl managing? well, luckily, we with us. how if you've been - managing? well, luckily, we had three outfits _ managing? well, luckily, we had three outfits in _ managing? well, luckily, we had three outfits in our _ managing? well, luckily, we had three outfits in our carry - managing? well, luckily, we had three outfits in our carry on - managing? well, luckily, we had three outfits in our carry on so i three outfits in our carry on so we've — three outfits in our carry on so we've just _ three outfits in our carry on so we've just been sharing that. we've even _ we've just been sharing that. we've even been — we've just been sharing that. we've even been sharing it with other people — even been sharing it with other people in— even been sharing it with other people in the resort. just trying to help one _ people in the resort. just trying to help one another.— people in the resort. just trying to help one another. obviously, you had a fantastic trip _ help one another. obviously, you had a fantastic trip planned. _ help one another. obviously, you had a fantastic trip planned. like - help one another. obviously, you had a fantastic trip planned. like the - a fantastic trip planned. like the one you had, you take a little bit time and care over deciding what to wear, may be doing a bit of holiday shopping and packing it all. yes. oh, my goodness. _

shopping and packing it all. yes. oh, my goodness. is— shopping and packing it all. .9:9 oh, my goodness. is there anything else in the case is that you really, really needed that you don�*t have? everything. you�*ll make everything. everything. you'll make everything. especially— everything. you'll make everything. especially for me and my medication which _ especially for me and my medication which is _ especially for me and my medication which is prescribed so it is not something that i can get out here so a struggle _ something that i can get out here so a struggle trying to manage without it. a struggle trying to manage without it so _ a struggle trying to manage without it. y a struggle trying to manage without it. so very little communication, ou sa , it. so very little communication, you say. from — it. so very little communication, you say, from the _ it. so very little communication, you say, from the airline. - it. so very little communication, you say, from the airline. have i it. so very little communication, i you say, from the airline. have you taken any advice on what to do next or how to approach this? we taken any advice on what to do next or how to approach this?— or how to approach this? we have been trying _ or how to approach this? we have been trying to _ or how to approach this? we have been trying to get _ or how to approach this? we have been trying to get our— or how to approach this? we have been trying to get our families - or how to approach this? we have been trying to get our families at | been trying to get our families at home _ been trying to get our families at home to — been trying to get our families at home to keep calling the airlines. none _ home to keep calling the airlines. none of— home to keep calling the airlines. none of them can get through. we have a _ none of them can get through. we have a little bit lost with what is going _ have a little bit lost with what is going on — have a little bit lost with what is going on. we have a little bit lost with what is rroin on. 9 9. have a little bit lost with what is rroin on. 9 :, : :, have a little bit lost with what is rroin on. 9 9. : :, :, :, going on. we have chatted to them on social media — going on. we have chatted to them on social media but _ going on. we have chatted to them on social media but the _ going on. we have chatted to them on social media but the responses - going on. we have chatted to them on social media but the responses seem l social media but the responses seem be quite general both from heathrow and the airline. heathrow is trying not to take any responsibility or nursing we need to contact our airline but when we do, the message on the weekend and i have not got a response now and it is working hours so it kinda feels a bit like... oh.

so it kinda feels a bit like... oh, we thought _ so it kinda feels a bit like... oh, we thought we _ so it kinda feels a bit like... oh, we thought we had _ so it kinda feels a bit like... oh, we thought we had lost you for a minute. the picture froze. you were just telling us that heathrow were saying it was the alliance responsibility but when you got in touch with the airline, that�*s pretty much when the shot froze. when we got into contact with the airline at the weekend i have not had a response from members of cent on e—mail and search and chatted to them on twitter but it has been radio silent since then. are you surprised that you have not heard a once we saw the news. the new suite on the bbc, actually, we were thinking we were going to get her suitcase at the next day and then we thought this is a bit more of a serious situation than we thought but the lack of an official statement from air mauritius kinda makes us feel like we are not cared about and they didn�*t carry out their basic duty in as the passengers and our luggage to our destination. a lot of issues with

the airline industry at the moment. lots of delays on flights. but do you feel that you have managed to have a pretty nice time so far anyway? have a pretty nice time so far an a ? 9 9. , have a pretty nice time so far an a ? 9 :, , :, anyway? we are trying to en'oy it. obviously. — anyway? we are trying to en'oy it. obviously, things i anyway? we are trying to en'oy it. obviously, things are i anyway? we are trying to en'oy it. obviously, things are been _ anyway? we are trying to enjoy it. | obviously, things are been ruined. it obviously, things are been ruined. it can— obviously, things are been ruined. it can do— obviously, things are been ruined. it can do the excursions could be don't _ it can do the excursions could be don't have — it can do the excursions could be don't have the proper clothing but we're _ don't have the proper clothing but we're just— don't have the proper clothing but we're just trying to take it for what — we're just trying to take it for what it— we're just trying to take it for what it is— we're just trying to take it for what it is and just enjoy the time because — what it is and just enjoy the time because it — what it is and just enjoy the time because it is beautiful here. | what it is and just enjoy the time because it is beautiful here. i hope that ou because it is beautiful here. i hope that you do — because it is beautiful here. i hope that you do enjoy _ because it is beautiful here. i hope that you do enjoy the _ because it is beautiful here. i hope that you do enjoy the best - because it is beautiful here. i hope that you do enjoy the best of - because it is beautiful here. i hope that you do enjoy the best of yourl that you do enjoy the best of your holiday and i hope that you get your luggage before it is time to come back home again. good luck with that. an inquiry has found that the belfast health trust failed to intervene quickly enough in the practice of a doctor which led to northern ireland�*s largest patient recall. more than 5,000 former patients of neurologist michael watt were invited to have their cases examined for possible misdiagnoses.

let�*s speak to our ireland correspondent emma vardy. tell us more about what happened. well, this is something that has been going on in northern ireland for about four years now. back in 2000 and 18005 for about four years now. back in 2000 and 1800s of patients around northern ireland began to receive letters from belfast health trust, effectively asking them to come back in and check the diagnosis and medication was correct in belfast health trust had to launch their largest ever patient recall in its history because of the concerns that have been raised about this consultant neurologist michael watt who worked at royal victoria hospital in belfast. there is been a number of years now that have gone by in which patients have been reassessed. these inquiries have taken a long time but finally this one has concluded, looking at the issue of how complaints were raised and as you say it is found that

belfast health trust should have intervene sooner. it found that failures in michael watt�*s work was missed by a decade. in a fit of those patients, or thereabouts that were recall, it was found that there was no appropriate management plan and about a fifth where there was not an appropriate prescription that they had been given. a lot of trauma, a lot of worry involved for these patients who were affected by this. he treated neurological diseases are people who suffered strokes, people with ms, with parkinson�*s disease. and this inquiry is broadly concluded going forward that patient safety should always be a paramount concern, something you might think it�*s pretty obvious but something it uncovered when it dug a little deeper was it found a culture where doctors were wary of raising concerns about other doctors. there was a culture that really inhibited that between medical practitioners. the big question, of course, why did this happen and what has happened to michael watt and those questions have largely gone unanswered for

many patients because, in fact, michael watt removed himself from the register and turn to 21 head of the register and turn to 21 head of the public tribunal hearing so we did not appear publicly at that. he did not appear publicly at that. he did not appear publicly at that. he did not give evidence to the inquiry. his lawyer said he had ongoing mental health issues and, of course, this is of great concern to many people who wanted answers. the qc who chaired this inquiry said it was a significant public concern that he did not appear before the panel. so we are left today, really, with a series of recommendations of belfast health trust. it is recommended that the department of health reviews guidance in relation to complaints or something like this can�*t happen again in future but of course the effect on patients has been huge. many of his former patient say, well, look, this doctor orformer patient say, well, look, this doctor or former doctor patient say, well, look, this doctor orformer doctor has patient say, well, look, this doctor or former doctor has avoided being held accountable and they have spent years coping with the trauma and uncertainty that has come from what has happened. ih uncertainty that has come from what has happened-— has happened. in that culture point that ou has happened. in that culture point that you raised _ has happened. in that culture point that you raised as _ has happened. in that culture point that you raised as an _ has happened. in that culture point

that you raised as an important - has happened. in that culture point. that you raised as an important one, isn�*t it? medical professionals apprehensive in raising a concern about the practice of a colleague. either any recommendations or is there any guidance on how that can be addressed?— be addressed? well, this piece of advice which _ be addressed? well, this piece of advice which has _ be addressed? well, this piece of advice which has come _ be addressed? well, this piece of advice which has come to - be addressed? well, this piece of advice which has come to the - be addressed? well, this piece ofj advice which has come to the fore be addressed? well, this piece of i advice which has come to the fore in this inquiry which is advised that practitioners are saying you can�*t know what you know and what they mean by that is saying that if there are off the record conversations or concerns that may be raised informally. it should not be put to one side and actually, if you have heard something and you can�*t than unknow it and perhaps if that had happened previously than some of the warning signs which the inquiry believes were apparent over ten years in relation to this, doctor�*s work then concerns would have been taken more seriously earlier. 5000 patients were cold as a huge number of people to have to come back. it has been a huge piece of work for the belfast health trust.— has been a huge piece of work for the belfast health trust. thank you very much- —

the belfast health trust. thank you very much. apologies _ the belfast health trust. thank you very much. apologies if _ the belfast health trust. thank you very much. apologies if you - the belfast health trust. thank you very much. apologies if you can i the belfast health trust. thank you i very much. apologies if you can tear me when i was asking that first question to emma. a battery problem. but, moving on. 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 one of 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 destigmatise 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: i am happy, really happy. now villagers like us can grow it legally. we no longer have to hide. even what�*s 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 chidchob 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 poor, rural region of thailand. a 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�*s strictly for medical purposes, it�*s not for recreational. i hope that they see the potential, like 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. the president of france�*s meeting political opponents today after he

and his allies lost a majority in the national assembly. he is now under pressure to secure support from rivals to fulfil his government�*s reform agenda but neither the far right no the left green alliance say they are keen to work with him. people with hiv can now have full careers in the british armed forces built up until today, potential recruits living with the virus had been banned from joining while serving members were not deployed overseas. the ministry of defence is the change in policy recognises advances in management, treatment and prevention of hiv. a floating restaurant that was a famous hong kong land monk has sunk just days after it was towed away from the harbour where it operated for nearly 50 years. the jumbo restaurant capsized in the south china sea on its way to an undisclosed location. nobody was hurt. nobody was hurt. the duke of cambridge turns 40 today — at a time of increasing responsibility for him — as our royal correspondent, daniela relph, reports.

for 40 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 kirkwood. of course, early morning sunshine made into a lot of sunshine by day across england and also wales. this

beautiful blue sky in bedford. but it was not like this everywhere. scotland and northern ireland seeing a bit more cloud as we have got in helensburgh. these conditions have prevailed so where we have got in the north and west temperatures are suppressed a touch but in the sunshine we are looking at top temperatures of 24 or 25 degrees but we also have high or very high pollen levels across many parts of the country to gay eye way from the far north of scotland and around the five area. as we head onto the evening and overnight, again, you can see a bit more though cloud, mist or mo coming in and fending into northern ireland. clear skies for the west of us but patchy mixed farming across the north west of england. it is not going to be a cold night so it won�*t be a cold start to the day. this patchy mist will clear quite rapidly and once again for england, wales, for eastern scotland, a lot of sunshine. we hung onto a bit more cloud across

the north and west of scotland and the north and west of scotland and the north and west of northern ireland but to the east we will see some of that break and we will see some of that break and we will see some sunshine so in belfast we are looking at highs of 20 degrees but the top temperature tomorrow is likely to be 26 or 27, somewhere in central and southern england. now, into wednesday, we still have high pressure in charge. a weather front not far from the north—west and weather fronts not far away either on the near continent. so translated, again there will be a bit more cloud coming in at times across the north—west of scotland and northern ireland. here is our weather front producing some showers and we will also start to import the showers coming across the channel islands initially and southern england, south wales heading in the direction of the midlands but in between, once again, a lot of dry weather and also a fair bit of sunshine. with top temperatures 13 to about 27 degrees. then, as we had from friday into the weekend, low pressure takes over our weather. it

turns more unsettled, cooler, wetter, with showers or longer spells of rain and windy.

the biggest rail strike for a generation is under way as workers stage the first of three 24—hour walkouts. the vast majority of britain�*s trains are at a standstill, while many stations are virtually empty as millions of travellers face disruption. the prime minister calls on travellers to �*stay the course�* during the strikes — many have had to drive, cycle or even walk to their destinations. our company employs 50 drivers and today, it�*s a disaster, thanks to them. i think they deserve it but can we afford to give everybody a raise? striking workers are picketing stations, with no signs of a compromise to the dispute between rail management and unions. 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,