a strike by more than ao—thousand rail workers is to go ahead on wednesday — after the two sides failed to reach the rmt union has confirmed the walkout will go ahead — it's over pay, working conditions and job security. knock—on effects are expected on thursday, and a separate walkout by train drivers is scheduled for next saturday. further strikes are expected in august. a nursing union is to ballot members on possible industrial action after most nhs workers in wales were offered a below—inflation pay rise. the royal college of nursing in wales says the pay offer would "do nothing" to fill vacancies or inspire young people to become nurses. doctors, consultants, gps and nurses in wales are being offered a pay rise between 4 and 5.5 per cent. you may have noticed that

�*the papers' should be on about now. our usual schedule has been slightly disrupted by the women's euros quarterfinals match between france and the netherlands. but we will have a full look at tomorrow's front pages at 11.30pm. i'll be joined by aubrey allegretti from the guardian and geri scott from the times. join us for that, if you can. to the us now, where a jury has found donald trump's former chief strategist, steve bannon, guilty of contempt of congress. it follows his failure to co—operate with a committee investigating the former president's actions, during the attack on the capitol in january last year. mr bannon could now face up to two years in jail. our washington correspondent, rianna croxford, reports. steve bannon, defiant as he faces up to two years in prison for contempt of congress for refusing to give evidence to a committee investigating last

year's attack on the capitol. we may�*ve lost a battle here today, but we're not gonna lose this war. here's why they wanted to speak with him. all hell is going to break loose tomorrow. it's all converging, and now we're on, as they say, the point of attack, right? the point of attack tomorrow. talking the day before the riots kicked off, they believed this showed he'd been in contact with donald trump ahead of the chaos. considered the brains behind the former president's 2016 election victory, he'd served as his campaign chief and a core strategist until he was fired by the white house in 2017. inside the court, mr bannon argued his old role meant he was protected by executive privilege, and so he wouldn't have to give evidence about his former boss. but this was dismissed by investigators because he was no longer in government, and they said he'd chosen his loyalty to donald trump over compliance with the law. outside court, steve bannon's lawyer said he'd appeal the decision.

you will see this case reversed on appeal. you will see all of these resources — three federal prosecutors, four fbi agents for a misdemeanour — are being wasted. mr bannon will be sentenced in october, but his position hasn't changed. i stand with trump and the constitution, and i will never back off that, ever. and now, he'll have to see if his loyalty pays off. rianna croxford, bbc news, washington. a new prequel to the lord of the rings has been made by amazon prime — and it's being billed as the most expensive tv show ever created. it was launched at �*comic con' in san diego, and our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba was there. today, our days of peace begin. it has been billed as the most expensive tv series ever, with a price tag rumoured to be in excess of $1 billion.

add to that the expectation of a group of fans who grew up watching director peterjackson's trilogy. so... can you get something more pressured than this? there is a pressure, that is also really exciting. i'm a lord of the rings fan, so i'm with them. and i'm really excited for them to see it. with fantasy, with anything with a fandom, i don't feel it really exists until it is out there, so i feel like we are about to finally give birth to this. together we can survive this! the universe created byjrr tolkein has, of course, a timeless quality. the cast and crew behind this new story, set thousands of years before the hobbit and lord of the rings, are hoping it will be equally appealing. the things in tolkein are really universal. it's about good versus evil, and we can all get behind that. i hope that it stands the test

of time, and that people want to keep watching it. hopefully people just have fun when they watch it. of course, comic—con would not be what it is today without, well, comics. earlier today in hall h, the equivalent of the pyramid stage here, matrix and john wick star keanu reeves took part in a huge event talking about his comic book series, berserker. i am finally close to an answer. the story is about an immortal battling through the ages launched in 2021, and a tv series on netflix is already in the works. it was special for all of us, in the sense that it was the first comic book to be in hall h, it was really oriented towards cinema previously, and television, so to be part of that kind of history and to feel the audience and the appreciation and the passion for what we have

been a part of creating, really special. positive word—of—mouth spreading from events like this can give any project a huge boost, and that is what every tv series, comic book and movie here will be hoping for. pine martens used to be among britain's most common mammals. today, they're rarely seen beyond the scottish highlands but they could be making a return to england — on exmoor and dartmoor — 150 years after they were last there. john henderson reports. bison roaming the kent countryside, beavers swimming in the river 0tter, so what's coming back next?

well, it could be these — pine martens. i think a lot of people don't know what a pine marten is because they've been missing from our environment for so long, so a pine martin is this mustelid, which is like a stoat or a weasel or an otter. and this is where 30 to a0 could be released if all goes according to plan — dartmoor and exmoor. big spaces for these rarely—seen creatures, partly because they're nocturnal, partly because they love trees. not like you and me! if i was up at the top of there, i'd be a little bit like, "hello?!" they'll be right up at the top of that and no problem at all, and they'lljump between and wander around between. they're really good climbers, up and down. pine martens disappeared from the south—west about 150 years ago. they were hunted for their fur, but, more critically, their natural habitats, such as woodlands, were cut down. but the dunsford nature reserve in the teign valley, one of the organisations involved in the two moors pine marten project, explains why their reintroduction is so important. 0ur environment is in a, is really nature—depleted. we are facing a biodiversity and climate crisis at the minute. it's about creating balanced ecosystems — woodland wildlife that can all work together

and to be balanced and thriving, and pine martens have a really important role to play in that. the reintroduction of pine martens isn't a given, though. consultation is taking place, and widely. and given the proximity to farmland, that includes farmers — though a reintroduction in the forest of dean went smoothly after they were given advice. and when the pine martens are returned to woods like this, they'll be fitted with tags so their movements could be monitored and they can be tracked. and if the consultation does go well, these already critically endangered species could be released in stages, beginning in autumn 202a. john henderson, bbc news.

cruise missiles hit ukraine's biggest port, jeopadising a deal on grain shipments to millions around the world. the attack on 0desa comes just 2a hours after moscow had agreed to reopen the black sea. translation: no matter what russia promises, . it will always find a way to break them. that may be through geopolitics or with weapons, sometimes through bloodshed. it has many ways to act.

it was hoped the deal was a breakthrough to address a global food crisis but that now hangs in the balance. also tonight... more delays and frustration for thousands trying to cross the channel at dover. the world health organization says the monkeypox outbreak is now a global health emergency. and katherine brunt becomes england's leading wicket—taker in international t20s, as they beat south africa. good evening. there's been a cruise missile attack on a key ukrainian port, just 2a hours after kyiv and moscow signed a deal to allow the resumption of grain exports around the world. ukraine blames russia, with president zelensky saying

the strike showed moscow couldn't be trusted to implement the deal, aimed at averting a major globalfood crisis. the missiles hit the southern port of 0desa, which is still in ukrainian control, and central to any hopes of exporting grain out of the country through the black sea. our ukraine correspondent james waterhouse has sent us this report. in a war littered with broken promises and especially devastating betrayal, two missiles launched from the black sea hitting odesa's port. two others were taken out by air defence systems. for coffee vendor sergei, there is only one thing to do. translation: i saw black smoke after the missiles hit, _ so i knew i had to run to a bomb shelter and hide. it was very scary because there was a big noise

and unpleasant to the ears. now, the ukrainian soldiers here aren't letting us do too much filming because it could be used by the russians, but we're told that there was minimal damage to the port and that a number of people were in injured. but rocket attacks happen frequently, and in the case of this one, it's the undermining of trust which is the most significant. less than a day ago, a deal signed where russia agreed to allow millions of tonnes of grain to leave ukraine through the black sea. a first diplomatic breakthrough which could reduce the country's damaged economy and help address a globalfood crisis now hanging in the balance. ukraine is one of the biggest producers of grain and russia's naval blockade has hit farmers profits. this agreement doesn't mean anything to me, says alexander. how can they sign an agreement with a

country that they will never follow. ukraine's leader today meeting a cross—party group of us politicians has become used to rush a's predictable unpredictability. translation: no matter what russia promises, . it will always find a way to break them. that may be through geopolitics or with weapons, sometimes through bloodshed. it has many ways to act. his government says preparations for grain exports will continue, but this fragile operation brings real dangers with high stakes. james, one wonders what hope there really is for this agreement to continue on opening up the black sea? figs continue on opening up the black sea? �* , . . , continue on opening up the black sea? a . ~ ., continue on opening up the black sea? a . «a, , continue on opening up the black sea? . sea? as far as ukraine is concerned the will sea? as far as ukraine is concerned they will push _ sea? as far as ukraine is concerned they will push on, _ sea? as far as ukraine is concerned they will push on, they _ sea? as far as ukraine is concerned they will push on, they will - sea? as far as ukraine is concerned they will push on, they will carry . they will push on, they will carry on preparing for these grain exports. but imagine being a crew member with a shipping company where evenif member with a shipping company where even if vessels start to make it out

of ports like here in 0desa, they will then had to go along a route littered with mines. the terms of this deal dictate that they will not be able to have some naval escort. they will have to make it through a russian blockade that in theory has agreed to not open fire before making it on to a further destination. it seems all parties are driven by necessity to see this deal through, are driven by necessity to see this dealthrough, but are driven by necessity to see this deal through, but there are of course a bigger picture here. tens of millions of people at risk of starvation if they do not receive ukraine's grain. there is a lot at stake, the risks are very real in a war where temporary ceasefires have continually been broken when fighting has broken out between both sides. the kremlin at the moment has not commented on this attack, the us has said it questions must go's credibility in this deal. it has been widely condemned but it still remains for now the only major

diplomatic breakthrough in this conflict.