so so bad, they will think it is not so bad, they will get in their cars and go out and if everybody did that we would see problems on the roads, another reason people might not have taken to the cars today is the cost of petrol might have put them off and encouraged them to work from home. things not as bad as they could have been but they are concerned about how bad they will get, particularly towards the edge of the week. thank ou, phil towards the edge of the week. thank you, phil mackie. _ thousands of people have gathered at stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice. sunrise at the ancient stones was just before ten to five this morning. this year was the first time members of the public have been allowed to attend the solstice in person since 2019 because of the pandemic. time for a look at the weather — here's darren bett. hello, a beautiful sunrise this morning but differing fortunes for today. a sunny summer solstice

across england and wales and warmer than yesterday. in scotland and northern ireland it was the warmest day of the year so far yesterday, todayis day of the year so far yesterday, today is cooler with much more cloud. not much rain left over and i think the cloud will thin and break so we should see sunshine. some cloud pushing into the far north of england, the rest of england and wales enjoying blue skies and strong sunshine, temperatures higher than yesterday, 2&25, i7 sunshine, temperatures higher than yesterday, 2&25, 17 or 18 sunshine, temperatures higher than yesterday, 21125, 17 or 18 scotland and northern ireland where we have the cloud. some patchy cloud overnight tonight in scotland and northern ireland, the bulk of england and wales dry, clear, no wind, temperature is probably more evenly spread overnight, 11 or 12 degrees, may be warmer in northern ireland with more cloud. i hope we should break through that cloud tomorrow more readily across northern ireland added to scotland, more sunshine and more warmth, but across england and wales the heat

continues to build in those blue skies and light winds. temperatures are couple of degrees higher than today, 26 or 27 in quite a few places, warmer in northern ireland and across eastern scotland in the sunshine. if you get the sunshine we have high and very high grass pollen levels tomorrow. the heat is building underneath an area of high pressure bringing the sunshine, a couple of weather fronts into thursday, this one is further north, allowing some showers from the english channel. into thursday still some cloud across western scotland and northern ireland but otherwise sunshine, temperatures climbing quickly and then we see showers, potentially heavy and thundery, moving across southern england, into wales at the midlands and maybe east anglia later. still very warm on thursday but the highest temperatures are pushed further north added to parts of northern england. things really started to change overnight into friday. more

cloud, more showers, a weather front bringing rain from the atlantic and there will be cooler, fresher air into the weekend. still some sunshine on friday, showers moving northwards, some heavy, some thundery, more breaking out through the day. arriving into the far south—west much later in the day. cooler for much of the sunshine that where we get sun china eastern england it will be very warm for one more day. england it will be very warm for one more da . . ~ england it will be very warm for one more da . ., ~ ,, a reminder of our top story... the biggest rail strike for a generation is underway, as workers stage the first of three 24—hour walkouts. that's all from the bbc news at one, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc�*s news teams where you are. good afternoon, i'm chetan pathak with your latest sports news.

some breaking news in the last hour — the chairwoman of the football association has publicly backed england manager gareth southgate. his role's come under scrutiny after a poor run of recent form. but debbie hewitt says she's spoken to southgate to reassure him about his long term future, and has praised him for his resilience and accountability. rugby league has banned transgender players from women's international competition until further notice. the ruling follows a decision by swimming's world governing body — fina to restrict trans athletes' participation. international rugby league says it needs more time before finalising its policy and wants 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. and the chief executive of the event john 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 who's extending his breakfrom diving.

the 28—year—old has not competed since winning gold at tokyo 2020 in the 10m synchronised with matty lee — who has been named in the 18—strong squad. olmpians jack laugher and dan goodfellow are also included. the games get under way onjuly the 28th. the 26 you will playing his second the 26 you will playing his second ept tour event beat his opponent 6—1 in the deciding set. warming up for wimbledon — serena williams is playing herfirst competitive tennis in nearly a year today— she's in the women's doubles later at eastbourne. the 23—time grand slam winner, who is now 40, hasn't played since her emotional exit from wimbledon last summer when she was forced to retire with an injury in the opening round. she plays in the doubles this evening alongside the world number three ons jabeur,

who says 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 everything that she has been through. i hope i can learn even, like, 2% from it. she is three love down in that opening set. dan evans plays later. the wind wimbledon qualifiers are under way. the wind wimbledon qualifiers are underway. full details

the wind wimbledon qualifiers are under way. full details on the website. wimbledon begins on monday. wimbledon begins on monday. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport 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 overjob security, a freeze on pay and what it sees as poor management of the industry. it says that network rail�*s plans to cut to 9000 maintenance jobs would make accidents more likely because the roles of a safety critical. i

doubt that many rail workers have had their pay frozen for nearly three years despite working throughout the pandemic. the rmt�*s reader say despite weeks of negotiations, they have only been offered a 2% pay rise. rail dispute that saying they have been offered 3%. that is it 2% rise plus another 1% if they meet efficiency and productivity targets. world unions is that is not enough as the cost of living soars and are asking for 7.1%. ~ ., , living soars and are asking for 7.1%. ~ ., y ., , 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief that the only — 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief that the only way _ 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief that the only way for _ 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief that the only way for us - 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief that the only way for us to - 7.1%. we are firmly of the belief| that the only way for us to settle this dispute is for the government to allow these companies to negotiate and let them reach a reasonable agreement that will end the disruption of the service, will secure jobs and allow a decent transport system to be developed in this country. but transport system to be developed in this country-— this country. but the transport secretary said _ this country. but the transport secretary said it _ this country. but the transport secretary said it was _ this country. but the transport secretary said it was a - this country. but the transport secretary said it was a stunt i this country. but the transport secretary said it was a stunt to suggest he was interfering in talks and describe the strikes as a bit to

do vale reform. they make 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 which can take 70,000 images per minute to check those tracks and uses fewer employees so there are good reasons why not have the kind of modernisation which would improve safety which is being held back. he says are changing working habits brought about by the pandemic means the uk rail industry needs to modernise to survive. is that really the case? figures from the office from road and vale show that from march 2022 passenger numbers were about 60% of endemic levels. now, that could suggest long—term changes in our travel habits with more of those now working from home for at least some of the time. but more recently, passenger numbers have been rising. the latest data shows that the number of passengers have

risen to between 86 and 92% of pre—covert levels. the unions say there are also bigger problems at there are also bigger problems at the way the industry is run. £16 billion was pumped into the industry by taxpayers during the pandemic to keep the network going but the rmt says that has helped boost profits for private businesses. subcontractors and operators who they claim made £500 million in profit last year. and on top of that, there is the cost of leasing passenger carriages and other train vehicles, the so—called rolling stock from private companies. the rmt said that has helped those firms make a record £3 billion in revenue in 2021. now, we asked network rail and the department for transport about that figure. they say they were not sure how it had been calculated and could not provide an alternative. everyone agrees that the rail industry needs reforming but there are still big questions about how that is done, where the money is saved or invested and how best to predict demand to make the

service fit for the future. a former soldier has been sentenced to life in prison due to the murder of his neighbours. it has been told he will serve a minimum term of 38 years that appeal was convicted of stabbing his neighbours to death in november last year. cctv footage from the night of the murder showed that 35—year—old former royal engineer climbing over the fence to the couples home. domestic abuse is often perceived to be a man abusing a woman. however, domestic abuse towards men by women is a real issue with many victims suffering in silence. to tackle the issue, a new service has been launched in the uk, specifically targeting south asian male domestic abuse victims. gaggan sabherwal reports. i was in a seven—year relationship with my former partner. we got married. the initial period was quite

peaceful, quite normal, but once things had settled down, she began to change. if things didn't happen the way she wanted them to happen, then she would become quite aggressive. she was emotionally, physically and even financially abusing me. 30—year—old hussain, not his real name, is one of thousands of men in the uk who are all have been a victim of male domestic abuse. domestic abuse is often perceived to be a man abusing a woman, but physical, emotional and financial abuse towards men by women is very much a real issue, with many victims suffering in silence at the hands of the abuser. nobody really knew the true extent of what was going on. it was only afterwards when we separated that i was comfortable to disclose some of what i had experienced. according to recent figures by the domestic abuse charity mankind, in 2019 one in three victims of domestic abuse in the uk were men, and since 2004 the number of women convicted for perpetrating domestic abuse has increased

from 806 to 4948 in 2020, and experts say that the issue of male domestic abuse is only increasing in the country. we deal with a lot of clients, and over the years that i have been practising there have been a lot, and it is very similar to when abused women speak to professionals. they are also very, initially, not willing to talk about this for many issues. maybe there is shame, maybe they don't want to make things more difficult. but with men, there is that issue of, "well, if i speak about this "then maybe i'm branded as weak." a new service called men reaching out has been launched in bradford in northern england to help tackle this growing issue, and it is the first south asian male domestic abuse provision in the uk. one of the first point of calls is a telephone helpline support, where a man can pick up the phone and share his story. the second tier is where that man may have picked up the phone and says, "actually, i need a lot more support."

we then invite them in and do an assessment and then provide them with that one—to—one specialist support. and since its launch, the project says it has seen a steep rise in the number of people calling its helpline. the first couple of months when we started we received around 20 calls a month. that figure has now gone up to between 50 to 60 calls per month. if it wasn't for the support that i got from men reaching out, i don't think i would be alive today. gaggan sabherwal, bbc news. let's get more on the hollywood actor and campaigner, ben stiller, who has told the bbc he worries that the world will forget about the victims of ukraine's war. he made the comments on a visit to the city of irpin, as part of his role as an ambassador for the un's refugee agency. whilst in the capital, kyiv, he also met with president zelensky, calling him �*his hero' — and complimented him on his previous acting career.

the zoolander star has been working as a goodwill ambassador since 2016, and spoke tojon kay about the impact the visit has had on him. the thing that gets me is these are just people like you and i, who have been caught in a circumstance totally beyond their control. nobody wants to flee from their home. nobody wants to have to go out into the world and have to start fresh, or even just trying to find a way to survive. and that's what i'm taking with me — these are people who are just living their lives, mothers, fathers, families, friends. the stories we heard today were from mothers who, when this the shelling and these rocket attacks started at the beginning of the war, were having to grab their kids in the middle of the night. one mother of two twins, who had to grab her kids and run for shelter, not even knowing where to go for shelter. they went to the basement, then had to wait until the sound of the rockets had gone away

and take a chance to come back up and grab their clothes. and then, not know where to even go for safety. i mean, these kinds of stories, where you just try to place yourself in that situation and think, what would happen if somebody — you know, if a rocket came screaming by my apartment? we met a lady today who is living in her house that was almost completely destroyed by a rocket, where half of the house is just collapsed. and she's still living there with her husband, because they have no place else to go. that's the physical wreckage, the physical destruction. but there's the hidden damage — the mental scars must be all too obvious when you talk to people up close as well? yeah. i mean, that's actually really what's more disturbing when you talk to people, and more affecting. we talked to a group of people that all go to a community centre in irpin that was hit by three missiles. we saw the community centre, which was basically destroyed in terms of them being able to use it at all.

and so we sat with them and talked about their stories. and there was one young man who just described what the night was for him, february 24th or february 25th, when he said it was like a horror movie, not knowing where to go, running out into the streets, not knowing if where he was running was a safe place, because they didn't know where the rockets were coming from, and just hoping he'd see his girlfriend's face again, his parents' face again, just this fear that he was never going to even be able to connect or see people that he loved again. and you could see the trauma in his eyes, you know, as he's talking about it. then the further atrocities he saw from the soldiers that came in that, you know, deeply affected him and will, he said, for basically the rest of his life. so, these people all have so many issues that they're

going to have to deal with, just, as you said, psychologically, let alone trying to put a roof over their head. so there's a lot to be, eh... ..to pay attention to here and to try to in some way help. you know, the biggest thing is for the war to stop. you know, it's a senseless war. and wars everywhere are having these effects on people all over the world. and there was that that massive expression of of generosity and goodwill when the war first started. how concerned are you that as time goes on and the seasons pass, and maybe we start to think about the economy in our own individual countries, and the cost of living and that kind of thing, that ukraine disappears from the headlines, and maybe we start to forget? how much does that worry you? well, it's a real thing. i mean, and it's very valid, too, because we all have to deal with our own problems in life, what's right in front of us. and all of these things that you're talking about — domestic issues, pocketbook issues, things that affect us on a day to day basis — are very important and top of mind. but i think the reality is that our news cycle goes so quickly,

that it's really hard to keep attention on these issues that maybe don't direct us, don't affect us directly, but they do have an effect on us overall. i mean, wars do. they do. they have trickle down effects economically and in all other ways, butjust morally, our responsibility that we have to each other as people, i think, is something that everybody feels and wants to do something about. so, yeah, as time goes by, it only gets tougher for people who are displaced, people who are affected by this war. besides the fact that attention goes away, as i say, winter is coming and they have to figure out how to survive, how to find jobs, how to take care of their families as the news cycle has moved on, and also the attention of other other organisations,

too, because there are so many different things going on all over the world in terms of conflict. so, the tough thing is that for these refugees, that their situation doesn't get any easier, it only gets harder. so the more attention we can can shine on this, the more that we can talk about it, you know, if you're willing to listen and talk about it, i think is an important thing. and i'm gratefulfor that, because these people are just trying to make their way in life, and have a life like you and i, and go forward. and it's a really tough road for a lot of them. have you felt in danger there? have you felt at risk? um, no. i mean, you know, it's my first time coming to an area that's in conflict. but it's really kind of strange, because when you drive into the country, really in the west of the country, you don't feel the conflict. lviv, except for the curfew at night, where it gets very quiet and a little bit eerie, lviv, people seem to be going back to life as normal,

or trying to as much as possible. and then as you get closer and closer to kyiv and to the into the east of the country, you start to see the roadblocks and see the destruction, which is really shocking, when you haven't seen anything like that up close. i mean, i'm an actor, so the first thing i go to is like, "oh, it looks like a movie", but the scale of it is even bigger and it's real. and so that's really distressing. and then in terms of safety, inside the city, in kyiv, people are doing their thing. they're living, they're going out to dinner. we went out to dinner tonight. and it feels like people are trying to get back to normal here. and, you know, the reality is the war is right now focused in a different part of the country. that doesn't mean it can't come back here, but it's a very different reality in the east right now, or in some cities in the south, for sure. ben stiller, thank you so much forjoining us on bbc breakfast. all right. thanks for having me. 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. 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. now to the story of a youtuber from lincolnshire who almost dug himself into a hole with his latest stunt — which involved digging an actual tunnel underneath his garden. colin furze spent the last three years keeping his 12 million followers up to date with his progress on social media — but failed to inform the council about his plans. jake zuckerman has

been finding out more. shhhh! don't tell anyone, but colin furze is building a secret tunnel. for the last three years, the plumber turned youtube celebrity has been burrowing from his house in stanford to his garden shed, and only you, me, and nearly 12 million online followers, know anything about it. in fact, amongst the last to find out were planning officers from the local council. the council were actually really good. i don't think it was until video five that somebody at the council saw it on facebook and rang me up. they sent a guy out, really nice bloke, he came round and had a look at it, he was quite impressed with it. i always think it's a bit easier to ask forforgiveness than what it is for permission. colin's crazy inventions have made him an internet sensation. he already has a huge bunker in his back garden but was this a stunt too far? i didn't want to fill it in, you can't really get rid of it,

if anyone has seen the videos online, it's steel and concrete, taking it out would cause more carnage than building it. luckily for colin, the district council have granted his tunnel retrospective planning permission so for now he is free to burrow away to his heart's content which is lucky because he has got big ambitions. i'm thinking big, i would like the car to come up out of the drive. so you can basically come up to the house, go down, get out of the car, go through the tunnels and then go through the house, the bunker and everything, all underground. i don't care if it's raining any more, i'lljust be sorted. jake zuckerman, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. for england and wales today it has been mostly dry and sunny. for scotland and northern ireland in the far north of england we have been

prone to a bit more cloud and the odd spot of drizzle and that is reflected in the temperatures. you can see the afternoon temperature is 12-18 but can see the afternoon temperature is 12—18 but in the warm sunshine, 24 or 25 degrees. as we head to the evening, lower cloud, mistand murky conditions push in across western scotland and northern ireland. there will be patchy mist for me across england but in between, some clear skies and overnight lows 9—13. the patchy mist will left rapidly and then for england, wales and eastern scotland a lot of dry weather, a lot of sunshine. still cloud in the north and west but even so, travel further east as as scotland and you will run into some sunny intervals. temperatures tomorrow ranging from 12 to highs of 26 or 27.

this is bbc news, i'mjane hill. the headlines... the majority of britain's trains are at a standstill — and many stations are all but empty, as millions of people face disruption. the biggest rail strike in three decades is underway. the prime minister calls on travellers to �*stay the course' during the strikes — many have had to drive, cycle or 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 in the dispute between rail management and unions. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, from what i can see.