tonight at 10: the biggest rail strike in 30 years gets under way, as new talks are hastily arranged for the morning. the action brought most of britain's rail network to a halt, with further walk—outs planned by the unions for thursday and saturday. the government could have made a move to settle this dispute but instead they're escalating it. the lies they are telling about railway workers and the railway industry are outrageous. tens of thousands of staff are taking action over pay, redundancies and changes to working practices — changes which the government says are essential. 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 interest of the travelling public. we'll have the latest on the impact of the strike,

and the prospects of agreement in the new talks. also tonight... tensions between russia and lithuania following a ban on the transfer of some goods to the russian territory of kaliningrad. some pharmacies run by boots are criticised for telling patients they can no longer have their drugs organised in plastic trays. game, set, match. williams. and serena williams�* comeback to tennis after almost a year out of the game brings victory in eastbourne. and coming up on the bbc news channel... a great day for the brits at eastbourne as katie boulter and jodie burrage pick up the biggest wins of their careers. welcome to bbc news at ten. the biggest train strike in 30 years has disrupted travel

for millions of people. it was planned as the first of three days of action, but rail bosses and the unions now say they will hold new talks tomorrow to try to find common ground. the effects of today's action were severe, with only a fifth of services running across england, scotland and wales. running across england, now, here's the official map once again, with the red lines showing the limited services today and the large white spaces with no services at all. they are most of wales, scotland, the west country. today's strike is to be followed by another two on thursday and then on saturday, with passengers being warned again to travel by train only if necessary. the unions say their cause is just, on the issues of pay, job losses and working conditions. but the rail bosses say it's also about modernising the railways.

and borisjohnson has urged the public to "stay the course", because he says modernisation will be in their interest. we'll be reporting across the uk tonight. we start in bournemouth and our transport correspondent katy austin. hull, bournemouth and much of scotland and wales were among the places which turned into train deserts as thousands of workers walked out in the biggest rail strike in three decades. this is one of the stations where some trains are running today, but across the country only about 20% of the usual services are operating. and they finished much earlier. the last train from glasgow to crewe today departed just after 2.30. major stations like cardiff looked empty, as passengers heeded the warning to avoid the railway and many commuters switched back into working from home mode. that's not an option for ruth, who relies on taking the train from southampton to herjob in portsmouth, but there were no

services to portsmouth today. well, i won't be able to work today. i have a work phone, so i can log in that way, but i won't be able to do my full job today. but my colleagues have been really understanding. obviously i've made the effort to try and get there, but today it's just not going to happen. major routes appeared quieter than usual on the roads, actually. commuters queued for london buses earlier as staff on the underground walked out too. leisure plans this week will also be affected. sue from bradford sympathises with striking workers, but has had to find another way of travelling to a special birthday theatre trip. i would get a return train for i think only £6 or £8. plan b is taxis. and adding on extra expense, really. the return taxi, i've been given an estimate of i think £22 each way. the rmt union says members need a

pay rise that reflects the increasing cost of living. it says a payoff worth 2% with a further i% if reforms are expected forjob cuts and it has one morejob cuts reforms are expected forjob cuts and it has one more job cuts will follow. i and it has one more “ob cuts will follow. ., �* ~' and it has one more “ob cuts will follow. ., �* ~ ,, , follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, _ follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, from what _ follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, from what i - follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, from what i can - follow. i don't think sunday will be the end of it, from what i can see. j if we could negotiate a deal this week, it can be. otherwise, we'll have to look at what campaigns we're going to put on going forward. we think other unions willjoin this dispute on the railway. but the rail industry is under pressure to save money after the financial hit from the pandemic, and says ways of working need updating, from using more technology and maintenance to making weekends part of the normal rota. network rail says its changes, involving 1,800 fewerjobs, will enable a higher pay offer. it now hopes to push them through. whether or not the rmt agrees. we would much prefer to do this by agreement with the trade unions. we can stop _ agreement with the trade unions. we can stop that process at any point if there _ can stop that process at any point if there is a — can stop that process at any point if there is a willingness to strike the deat — the prime minister told cabinet

the country must prepare to stay the course during the strikes. 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 fare—payers up and down the country. but they're also in the interests of the railways, of railway workers and their families. tomorrow morning, fresh talks are planned between the two sides in this dispute. bournemouth behind me as one of the stations where there have been no trains at all today. trains will start running again in the morning but tomorrow, because of the knock—on impact of the strike day today, there will still be reduced services, but not as badly reduced as today. meanwhile tomorrow morning those fresh talks will get under way. i'm told if the and rail bosses to reach a deal tomorrow it would come too late to prevent disruption on thursday but possibly could prevent disruption on saturday —— if

prevent disruption on saturday -- if the rmt and rail prevent disruption on saturday —— if the rmt and rail bosses do reach a deal tomorrow. and i stress that is if a deal is reached. thank you, katy austin live in bournemouth. across the nations and regions of the uk, except for northern ireland, large areas have been without rail services for the entire day. most of scotland and wales had no services running. in london, underground workers have also been on strike in a separate dispute over pensions and job losses, and key stations such as london euston and kings cross have been nearly deserted. any moment we will speak to hywel griffith in cardiff at but first we will speak the lawn garden in glasgow. will speak the lawn garden in glas~ow. , will speak the lawn garden in glasuow. , ., , , glasgow. yes, stations deserted toda , glasgow. yes, stations deserted today. which _ glasgow. yes, stations deserted today, which includes _ glasgow. yes, stations deserted today, which includes central. today, which includes central station. _ today, which includes central station, on a normal day scotland's business _ station, on a normal day scotland's business —— we will speak to lorna gordon_ business —— we will speak to lorna gordon in— business —— we will speak to lorna gordon in glasgow. for the most part it has— gordon in glasgow. for the most part it has heeri— gordon in glasgow. for the most part it has been a — gordon in glasgow. for the most part it has been a lot of echoes and pretty— it has been a lot of echoes and pretty empty. the last train left at

a quarter— pretty empty. the last train left at a quarter to six this evening in the last train— a quarter to six this evening in the last train to — a quarter to six this evening in the last train to england on the west coast route left even earlier, just after _ coast route left even earlier, just after 230 — coast route left even earlier, just after 2.30 this afternoon. the disruption _ after 2.30 this afternoon. the disruption in scotland has been significant. 90% of scotrail services _ significant. 90% of scotrail services have been cancelled today. the efforts — services have been cancelled today. the efforts have focused on the central — the efforts have focused on the central belt. there have beenjust five routes — central belt. there have beenjust five routes running, and primarily between — five routes running, and primarily between edinburgh and glasgow, so no trains north _ between edinburgh and glasgow, so no trains north of the central belt, no trains— trains north of the central belt, no trains to _ trains north of the central belt, no trains to cities like aberdeen, inverness, dundee and perth. scotland's transport minister has called _ scotland's transport minister has called on — scotland's transport minister has called on the uk government to get around _ called on the uk government to get around the — called on the uk government to get around the table and also called for around the table and also called for a full— around the table and also called for a full devolution of rail powers to scotland — a full devolution of rail powers to scotland. hoteliers here and hospitality, though, have said they have been— hospitality, though, have said they have been left counting the cost. white _ have been left counting the cost. white the — have been left counting the cost. while the buses have been busier, we haven't— while the buses have been busier, we haven't really seen a significant uptake — haven't really seen a significant uptake on— haven't really seen a significant uptake on the roads which suggests many— uptake on the roads which suggests many people have continued to work from home —

many people have continued to work from home-— from home. here the longest day of the ear from home. here the longest day of the year would have _ from home. here the longest day of the year would have felt _ from home. here the longest day of the year would have felt even - from home. here the longest day of| the year would have felt even longer for people trying to travel around wales today with fewer than 10% of planned train journeys happening. here in cardiff the last train that got you to london left over six hours ago and the next one isn't until after 7am tomorrow. arguably, people here in the capital are the lucky ones because it is the only area with train services happening. nothing west of here to swansea, carmarthen, pembrokeshire, nothing at all to mid wales and no train services at all today across north wales. although it is a relatively small proportion of people using the train to get to work in wales, they are important for leisure and tourism so there is real concern over whether that strike on saturday will go ahead. we should note that transport for wales drivers are not on strike. they have agreed a pay deal with their welsh government owned employers but we haven't been told the figure for that pay settlement. we do know, however, the fact that network rail workers are

striking means no services can go ahead. the welsh government is accusing the uk government of failing, howeverwelsh accusing the uk government of failing, however welsh government ministers differ to their labour counterparts in westminster and they have been on the picket lines today. many thanks again, hell with —— hywel griffith there and lorna gordon in glasgow. businesses are struggling today with many reporting the difficulties faced by staff trying to get to work and they also report customers who are staying at home instead of being out and about spending money. the tourism agency, visit britain, has estimated that the uk's hospitality sector will lose about £500 million just from today's strike action. 0ur correspondent danny savage reports from york. on a fine summer's day, people would normally be pouring out of york station to visit the city. not today. barely a trickle of people were passing by. 0utside, they were queuing for the coach to london and leeds instead. today's strike has

ruined people's trips. we've had to book a bus, not get a refund on train tickets, and then pay for a hotel in london, which was not part of our plans. and you're flying to australia tomorrow? tomorrow. i think it throws a lot of tourists especially off, because you don't anticipate dealing with stress and strife while you're on vacation. it took me, like, four hours to get to here. | it's an absolute joke, mate, you know what i mean? - this man was trying to get to wakefield. he wasn't having a good day. there's normally trains every sort of 15, 20 minutes. and that's it. it's either a bus, a taxi, a coach or walk. by lunchtime, pub staff were definitely noticing the difference. normally by about 1pm, the beer garden out here would be full and the restaurant itself would be full, and it was empty until about 2pm today. no real tourism trade today that we would normally have. this market trader says footfall

is down, and some of his customers haven't much sympathy for the strikers. and of course, with less footfall, it's less people to buy things, so it's a knock—on effect, you know? a lot of my locals that come here start saying, "well, i ain't had a pay rise in five years. you know, why are they holding the country to ransom?" now, i take great pride in making sure all of my prisoners _ feel...uncomfortable! it's a bit of a horror show for this tourist attraction too. staff travel to the york dungeon by train. they've had to adapt. due to the rail strikes, the actors that do live further afield from york, we have taken them off the rota this week. so it's those that live in york or more locally that are coming in to work this week. for a weekday outside of the school holidays, this is unwelcome but manageable. further strikes, though, especially this saturday, will hit this city harder. danny savage, bbc news, york.

borisjohnson told cabinet colleagues today meeting that the country needed to get ready to "stay the course", as he put it, as reforms were vital for the rail industry and in the interests of passengers. but the government has been challenged by labour to do more to try to resolve the dispute and accused the tories of deliberately sowing division. for political gain. let's get the latest from our political editor chris mason at westminster. are there signs there may be some effort to get this dispute to a rapid close?— effort to get this dispute to a raid close? , ., ., rapid close? accepting an effort to t to do rapid close? accepting an effort to try to do that. _ rapid close? accepting an effort to try to do that, but _ rapid close? accepting an effort to try to do that, but no _ rapid close? accepting an effort to try to do that, but no real - rapid close? accepting an effort to try to do that, but no real sign - try to do that, but no real sign of a breakthrough either in this or another— a breakthrough either in this or another sector dashed by any other sector— another sector dashed by any other sector is— another sector dashed by any other sector is talking of industrial action — sector is talking of industrial action i_ sector is talking of industrial action. i am stressing it is day one and yes, _ action. i am stressing it is day one and yes, the — action. i am stressing it is day one and yes, the language of confrontation is in the air, quite cartoonish — confrontation is in the air, quite cartoonish language from the prime minister— cartoonish language from the prime minister this morning, talking as he did about _ minister this morning, talking as he did about union barons, reference to trade _ did about union barons, reference to

trade union— did about union barons, reference to trade union leaders, and on both sides. _ trade union leaders, and on both sides. the — trade union leaders, and on both sides, the rmt saying their was good to turn— sides, the rmt saying their was good to turn out— sides, the rmt saying their was good to turn out at the picket lines and the government talking down the impact _ the government talking down the impact of— the government talking down the impact of the strike today, saying lots of _ impact of the strike today, saying lots of people had been able to work from home — lots of people had been able to work from home. in the end, there is going _ from home. in the end, there is going to — from home. in the end, there is going to have to be some sort of compromise, some sort of deal, with every— compromise, some sort of deal, with every passing day of this dispute it will get _ every passing day of this dispute it will get harder for both sides. then there _ will get harder for both sides. then there is— will get harder for both sides. then there is labour, the labour awkwardness around strikes. all this awkwardness around strikes. all this awkwardness from labour around strikes _ awkwardness from labour around strikes about which side they are on. strikes about which side they are on only— strikes about which side they are on only a — strikes about which side they are on. only a couple, handful, frontbenchers today defied keir starmer — frontbenchers today defied keir starmer and appeared on picket tines _ starmer and appeared on picket lines in — starmer and appeared on picket lines. in the end, siriki is going to have — lines. in the end, siriki is going to have to— lines. in the end, siriki is going to have to decide how to discipline them _ to have to decide how to discipline them. , a, ,., to have to decide how to discipline them. , ., them. chris mason, our political ednon there are more updates, news and analysis on bbc news online — that's bbc.co.uk/news — and by using the bbc news app. as we've been hearing, pay is one of the reasons for the strikes on the railways today.

in the next few days, we're expecting a pay deal for nhs workers. in the private sector, a rather different approach has been taken by rolls—royce including a bonus of £2000 to help with the cost of living but unions say it is way short of what is needed. with his analysis on the situation, here is our business better, simonjack. yes, while the dispute in the rail industry has brought trains to a halt in much of the uk, more pay flashpoints are coming down the track. first, teachers and nhs workers' unions have said they will ballot their members on strike action if they don't get a pay offer close to inflation, currently running at 9%, and forecast to go to ii%. it's notjust the public sector where disputes are brewing. unions at royal mail announced this afternoon they would ballot over 100,000 workers on strike action, having received a 2% pay rise.

a different approach from other companies. lloyds banking group is paying 64,000 workers a one—off payment of £1,000 this autumn on top of a pay rise of 3.6%. rolls—royce has offered 70% of its workers a payment of £2,000 on top of a pay rise this year of ii%. that offer has been rejected this afternoon by the unite union. these one—off payments are described by management as a quick way to respond to cost of living crisis, by others as below—inflation pay rises in disguise as they get embedded in future pay. but remember — some will see their incomes rise by inflation — the government has promised state pensions will rise in line with inflation and so pensioners will see their incomes next year rise by whatever inflation is in september, likely to be 10% or higher. government will face questions as to why — if, as they argue,

high wage rises stoke inflation — millions getting 10% more income doesn't. final thought. this whole debate turns up a notch when we have new inflation numbers tomorrow. they are expected to rise yet again. simon, thank you. russia has warned lithuania of "serious" consequences after it banned the rail transfer of some goods to the russian territory of kaliningrad. a senior russian official has said moscow's retaliatory measures will have a serious and negative impact on the lithuanian population. but lithuania says it is only implementing eu sanctions imposed over the invasion of ukraine. this is kaliningrad, russian territory, but it does not adjoin russia and it is actually surrounded by eu states. russia has to rely heavily on getting goods in through

lithuania into kaliningrad and that is the source of this row. our russia editor steve rosenberg is in kaliningrad now. thank you. russia says there is a big problem here. the problem in kaliningrad is that russia... hello? hello? steve, can you hear us now? i can hear you now. we had a bit of a glitch on the line but i was making the point that clearly there are big tensions given what russia is trying to do and the policy lithuania but what are you picking up in

kaliningrad right now? the what are you picking up in kaliningrad right now? the thing is, when one of— kaliningrad right now? the thing is, when one of the _ kaliningrad right now? the thing is, when one of the most _ kaliningrad right now? the thing is, when one of the most powerful- kaliningrad right now? the thing is, | when one of the most powerful men kaliningrad right now? the thing is, i when one of the most powerful men in russia, the chief of the russian security council, flies into kaliningrad, as he did earlier, and issues about public and stern warning that the consequences of russia's response to all of this will be very bad and very serious for the lithuanian people, it makes you wonder what russia is planning here. some russian politicians and some russian commentators are calling for a military response to lithuania, a show of force by russia. that is quite incredible really because that would mean basically russia against nato. i don't think that is very likely but the fact that some people are talking about this and pushing for

it, it shows just how bad relations have become between russia and the west. ,, ., , ., ,, west. steve, many thanks, steve rosenberg _ west. steve, many thanks, steve rosenberg in _ west. steve, many thanks, steve rosenberg in kaliningrad - west. steve, many thanks, steve rosenberg in kaliningrad and - rosenberg in kaliningrad and apologies again for the technical hitch we had at the start of the chat. pharmacies run by the high street chain boots have been criticised for telling some patients who need to take multiple drugs that they can no longer be issued with dosette boxes. those are the plastic trays in which medicines are organised into separate daily compartments. critics say the boxes are essential for older and more vulnerable patients who need help with keeping track on the drugs they take every day. our health editor hugh pym reports. they are known as blister pack or dosette boxes. tablets for elderly patients prepacked by pharmacists in compartments for different times of day. pat is 88 years old. she suffers from epilepsy and struggles with some memory problems.

and here is her dosette box with pills arranged, clearly showing what needs to be taken when. it helps her stay independent at home. but her daughter tracy got a call from the local boots pharmacy saying the dosette boxes would be stopped. they said it is ending in four weeks' time and after that time, if you still want us to dispense your mother's medication, then it will have to be in the manufacture's individual boxes. and how difficult would that be? it would be incredibly difficult. there is no way that mum could cope with multiple boxes with different instructions on each box. a boots spokesperson said...

but some independent pharmacists are continuing to issue the dosette boxes though they say it is a costly process. we haven't had any one of our members basically withdrawing their service from their patients, but they are under a lot of pressure because this service is not funded at the moment. and doctors emphasise how important the boxes are for some patients. blister packs enable - people with mild dementia or some memory problems. to take their own medication and remain independent. they can check that they have taken it and they know they have - taken the right thing - because it is already sorted. later on, it enables paid carers and families to help them - take their medication and remain in the community and remain - as well as possible. boots said if patients were concerned, they should contact their local pharmacist. the charity age uk said for those who needed the boxes, it would be deeply regrettable if the service were to go.

hugh pym, bbc news. in washington where a congressional committee is investigating last year, right at the us capitol, the fourth of a series of public hearings has focused on the epitaph donald trump to exert pressure on election officials and some of the key states to deny victory to joe biden in that presidential election. there was testimony from the officials who resisted direct pressure from president trump to overturn the result. the inquiry could lead to prosecutions and indeed to new laws to try to strengthen us democracy. our north america editor sarah smith reports. on january onjanuary six, on january six, donald onjanuary six, donald trump was still repeating what he knew to be lies about the election. the mysterious _ lies about the election. the mysterious vote _ lies about the election. tie: mysterious vote dump of up to 1000 votes forjoe biden almost none for trump, that sounds fair! committee

members heard _ trump, that sounds fair! committee members heard from _ trump, that sounds fair! committee members heard from an _ trump, that sounds fair! committee members heard from an official- trump, that sounds fair! committee members heard from an official that trump had called days before, alleging fraud in georgia. we found two dead people that stated when you _ we found two dead people that stated when you —— january six and subsequent to that we found two more, _ subsequent to that we found two more, that is four people, not 4000, 'ust more, that is four people, not 4000, just a _ more, that is four people, not 4000, just a total— more, that is four people, not 4000, just a total of — more, that is four people, not 4000, just a total of four. all more, that is four people, not 4000, just a total of four.— just a total of four. all the fraud allegations _ just a total of four. all the fraud allegations had _ just a total of four. all the fraud allegations had been _ just a total of four. all the fraud l allegations had been investigated and dismissed but still president trump asked him to find the exact number of votes he needed to beat joe biden. what i knew is we didn't have any votes _ what i knew is we didn't have any votes to— what i knew is we didn't have any votes to find, we investigated i could have shed the numbers with you, could have shed the numbers with you. there — could have shed the numbers with you, there were no votes to find.

the result of the attempts from wide trump to illegally overturn the result have been branded as an attempted coup. what donald trump and his allies did after the last presidential election was shocking but even more worrying is just how many politicians who continue to repeat the selection lies are now manoeuvring to be in a position to oversee and to certify the next presidential election. sarah, many thanks, sarah smith, our north america editor. floods in bangladesh and india have claimed the lives of dozens of people and forced millions to leave their homes. the heavy rains have continued, making it difficult for rescuers to help those trapped by the rising waters. the floods are affecting north eastern india and parts of northern bangladesh. our south asia correspondent yogita limaye has sent this report. when the rain relents, rescuers work with the means they have to get people out. in small groups and clusters, hundreds of thousands are still to get to safety.

in these rural and remote areas of the indian state of assam, it isn't a fast—moving operation, but without it, some would simply not make it. across the border in bangladesh, the situation is even worse. this is the gate of a school in sylhet that was turned into a shelter. if it rains any more, it will no longer serve as a refuge. inside, people who've managed to save themselves but lost everything they had. "our home was swept away in the floods. all our belongings have gone too," this woman says. anger against the administration is growing. "our home was flooded and we've come here for shelter, but we haven't received any relief material yet. we're here without food," she says. unrelenting rainfall for more

than a week caused the flooding. and while this is a common occurrence in these low—lying areas during the monsoon season, bangladeshi officials say it's the worst they've seen in more than a century. today prime minister sheikh hasina surveyed the scale of the disaster that's hit her country. she insists her government is doing all it can. supplies have reached some areas. food packets, water and medicines. this is moulvibazar, to the south of sylhet. but the threat of more rain remains. and in both countries, most people who've been affected had very little even before the floods hit. they'll need all the help they can get to rebuild their lives. yogita limaye, bbc news, india.

serena williams has returned to the tennis court, winning herfirst competitive match for nearly a year. the 23—time grand slam champion played in the doubles at a grass court tournament in eastbourne. williams has been given a wild card to play at wimbledon next week. a lot of you will note that the 21st ofjune is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer, they say, marked by the summer solstice but we have an expert on hand on all these things, louise. i don't feel like an expert at the moment! ~ ., , ., , i don't feel like an expert at the moment! ~ ., i. , , , moment! what you need is sunshine from dawn to _ moment! what you need is sunshine from dawn to dusk— moment! what you need is sunshine from dawn to dusk and _ moment! what you need is sunshine from dawn to dusk and some - moment! what you need is sunshine from dawn to dusk and some of - moment! what you need is sunshine from dawn to dusk and some of us l from dawn to dusk and some of us have seen just that. absolutely stunning sunset pictures sent in by our weather watchers, thank you for that, it makes my life a little easier to have pictures like this to show you. this was worcestershire just an hour or go but hats off to this person in kent whojust just an hour or go but hats off to this person in kent who just stayed for the last few minutes of sunshine

today. and we have seen plenty about nick —— plenty of it for many across england and wales but not all. in scotland we have seen quite a lot of low and grey cloud and in the northern isles, only 12 degrees was that maximum. further south, that is where the best of the sunshine has been and where the best of the warmth has been and in fact, in east yorkshire we sort highs of 27 degrees, 81 fahrenheit point that we keep the clear skies this evening and it will be a relatively mild start tomorrow morning and with more sunshine coming from if you like the sunshine coming from if you like the sunshine and the heat, you will not be disappointed. plenty of it as we go through the day and even more sunshine in scotland and northern ireland. at the far north—west of scotland keeps the cloud going, a bit more of a breeze so temperate is a bit more disappointing but we could again see temperatures as high as 27 celsius, 81 fahrenheit. we will start to see some changes to

close out the week and this is the first sign, this frontal system which has brought the cooler and fresher air to the heatwave conditions across europe. that will bring some showers potentially across the channel islands but it looks likely that it might drift a bit further north. in southern england, perhaps the south midlands, we could see some sharp and thundery downpours on thursday. more cloud in the north—west and if that happens with those showers, it could impact on temperatures but we are still going for 26 or 27 degrees. moving into friday, low pressure starts to move in and it is this low with the frontal system that starts to bring the change. noticeably fresher for all at the start of the weekend and there will be some showers around as you can seep and not for everyone, not doom and gloom but some sharp showers around and guess what, just in time for glastonbury! of course but rain and a bit of cool weather, we like that in wales! i

weather, we like that in wales! i like it,