this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines. disruption as the latest rail strikes across the uk mean only 20% of train journeys are going ahead. i'm at euston station in london, normally the sixth busiest in the country but today it certainly doesn't feel that way. what few services that are already beginning to wind down for the day. england's 4—0 thrashing of sweden, the top ranked team at the women's euros. they thrashed sweden 4—0. the broadcaster nicky campbell alleges he and some of his friends were physically and sexually abused at school in the 1970s. the edinburgh academy has apologised to anyone who was abused there. a group of mps has called for benefit deductions to be paused.

the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. and i in victoria square in the centre of birmingham where the city and the region are preparing to host the 2022 commonwealth games. rail passengers are facing huge disruption after thousands of workers walked out in a continuing dispute about pay and working conditions. only about a fifth of britain's train services are running — many areas having no services at all today. the red lines here show the routes where some trains are operating — but network rail has warned people to travel only if absolutely necessary.

many journeys will many journeys manyjourneys will be manyjourneys will be ending manyjourneys will be ending earlier manyjourneys will be ending earlier than they normally work this evening. our correspondent emma simpson has this report. going nowhere. once again, half of the uk's rail network brought to a halt. at manchester piccadilly some trains were leaving with travellers trying to navigate the disruption. stressful. yeah. just a big change of plans. we've been up since 3:00 in the morning and flying from malaga. london euston is normally the sixth busiest station in the uk, but only a skeleton service today. actually no problems. it's about four trains an hour, which is pretty good. good on them. i support them. i think it's appalling actually what people are expected to live off. it wasn't just train disruption. at glasgow central station, protesters briefly descended to show their support for the walkout. a rail dispute that's getting messy.

more picket lines with the two sides seemingly as far apart as ever. the rmt now accused of blocking an 8% pay deal over two years. well, we haven't got an offerfrom network rail, or the train operating companies that suits the needs of the dispute. the train operating companies have made no offer on pay and they've given us no guarantee of no compulsory redundancies. so the gap between the two parties is too big and the responsibility for that lies with grant shapps and this government who dictate the terms that the companies can offer, and he's refusing to budge. the transport secretary says only the union and the employers can reach a settlement, but the industry has to modernise to survive and he wants changes to restrict further strikes coming down the tracks. what you've got is one union, the rmt, on strike today, a different union, the aslef on strike in in three days�* time. and because they're colluding between themselves to set these

strike dates, they're causing maximum damage to the passenger, to the traveller. now, i don't think that they should be able to go around doing that. we don't allow flying pickets, but we're allowing this form of collusion in order to make sure there's permanent chaos on the railways. but many will have avoided it by working from home. this is already a miserable summer for travel. without a major breakthrough, more rail strikes will follow next month. emma simpson, bbc news. 0ur correspondent simonjones is at euston station in central london for us this morning. simon, pretty quiet concourse of there, certainly quieter than the one i was travelling through at euston yesterday and today before to go to stoke. practically deserted for a weekday lunchtime but presumably they are services running or people have come in for a sandwich?— or people have come in for a sandwich? . , , w, ., , sandwich? yeah pretty extraordinary scenes when — sandwich? yeah pretty extraordinary scenes when you _ sandwich? yeah pretty extraordinary scenes when you consider _ sandwich? yeah pretty extraordinary scenes when you consider this - sandwich? yeah pretty extraordinary scenes when you consider this is - scenes when you consider this is normally the sixth busiest railway station in britain. today at times

it has been pretty deserted. they're only running 56 of the normal 315 passenger services you see on a weekday so that gives you an idea of how few services there are and how badly things have been affected. 0f badly things have been affected. of course this is one of a few stations actually running services. 20% of the network is running today. 50% of stations have no services at all. that gives you an idea of the impact. in terms of services, although it's early afternoon they already starting to wind down for the day. if you wanted to get a train from london to edinburgh you are too late because the last one departed at tpm and if you are going to manchester the last train is at 3:30pm and the final service from here will be the 1730, the bletchley. in terms of the dispute, the two sides seen as divided as

ever. there were three strike dates last month but they were on a choose day, thursday and saturday but they have a knock—on effect. it was hoped the sides would make some progress in talks after that but they seem idea logically and even physically very apart because today we've had network rail here in the station doing a round of media interviews whilejust outside the doing a round of media interviews while just outside the station we've had the rmt picket line, mick lynch, the general secretary visiting that, and the formulate of the labour partyjeremy corbyn also visited the picket line. they are very far apart in what they are saying and a real degree of mistrust because you got network rail saying they made a decent and fair pay offer that affordable. the rmt say they have had no decent offer and it isn't keeping up with the cost of living crisis. network rail say there will be no compulsory redundancies. the rmt say that they don't believe that

assurance. that's the divide that they now have to try and bridge. in terms of strike action, strike action for the rest of today and on saturday, further action involving the train drivers union, aslef, and then two more rmt strikes scheduled for next month so this looks far from over. for next month so this looks far from over-— lawyers representing the british—american environmentalist, morad tahbaz, say he has been freed from prison in iran on bail. he was jailed for ten years for spying in 2018. his family had expected him to be allowed to return to the uk as part of the deal that saw nazanine zaghari ratcliffe freed earlier this year. it didn't happen. england are through to the final of the women's european championship at wembley on sunday — after thrashing sweden in last night's semi—final. the lionesses beat the tournament's top—ranked side 4—0 to set up a clash with either germany or france, who play tonight.

0ur correspondent natalie pirks was at the match, at bramall lane in sheffield. the relief was palpable, thejoy was intense, and the dancing... ..fit for a wembley final. sweden are ranked second in the world and from the off were intent on showing us why. commentator: earps forced into a very early save. - england yet again started with the same 11 sarina wiegman had put her faith in throughout. within four minutes, top scorer beth mead almost repaid that trust. it's a good one. off the bar! heart in mouth moments. england's goalkeeper busier than in all previous matches. england needed to take a breath and with calm heads, came the breakthrough. mead! she's done it again! england lead in the semi—final! halftime brought a welcome respite and a chance to remind each other to leave no regrets on the bramall lane pitch.

lucy bronze got the memo. lucy bronze strikes goalfor england! england once again had to be alert. oh, and what a save, earps. it wasn't a clean shot, but the save needed to be perfection. mary earps, take a bow. from one goalkeeper�*s pleasure, to an absolute howler. russo, an absolute menace in sweden's box but this backheel was audacious. england's march to the wembley arch was becoming a canter and fran kirby's mastery in midfield reaped the reward she so deserved. delirium inside bramall lane! and when the final whistle blew and that semi—final hoodoo had been banished, the emotions could finally flow for players and for fans. i think when the full time whistle came, we didn't really know what to do. as you can tell, an unbelievable atmosphere. we're excited for finals. oh, it was brilliant. brilliant.

absolutely brilliant, yeah. i'm buzzing for the final. ithought, "oh, my, this is going to be hard." - and then, bam! 4—0, it's a great game, though. great game, crazy! 4—0, who would have thought it? semi final, on to the final now. i think serena wiegman's done a fantasticjob. yeah. she's brought the youth back in, she's got the experience there. these fans, these players, in serina they trust. it's been less than a year she's been in thejob, but the impact she's made is clear. 13 years it had been since england had been in the final of a major tournament. who would bet against them now? natalie pirks, bbc news, sheffield. last night's match was watched by a peak television audience of 9.3 million on bbc one with a further two million in streams online. that goes to show the real swell of support around the nation for this team and how their performance at this

home euros has really captured the imaginations of many. the jubilant scenes that women's football craved. across the country, from trafalgar square to pubs in bristol, millions of fans roared in support of the lionesses as they swept sweden aside. going through my mind was, because, when i'm older i want to be a footballer, so i was looking at how they were celebrating and thinking of how i was going to celebrate. with only 63% of schools currently offering girls football in pe lessons, a former england legend gave an impassioned plea that this tournament can be a catalyst for change. we need to make sure something happens off the back of these girls and what they're doing because it's

notjust legacy. it's actually making something happen off of the back of this. ten years to the days since london 2012 began, the issue of legacy was already being hotly debated. for girls like tess, it's notjust about seeing it to believe it, but having access to play the sport they've fallen in love with. picking up on the thought ian white had, here is somebody who did something before it, val hoyle, the club secretary of rotherham united, founded in 1969 by you.— club secretary of rotherham united, founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's true. founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's we come — founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's we come a — founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's true. come a long _ founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's true. come a long way _ founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's true. come a long way since - founded in 1969 by you. yeah, that's true. come a long way since then. i true. come a long way since then. boy, you've come a long way and for women of rotherham. how old were you when you founded the club? 11. women of rotherham. how old were you when you founded the club?— when you founded the club? 11, going on 12. so, when you founded the club? 11, going on 12. so. why? _ when you founded the club? 11, going on 12. so, why? because _ when you founded the club? 11, going on 12. so, why? because i _ when you founded the club? 11, going on 12. so, why? because i grew- when you founded the club? 11, going on 12. so, why? because i grew up. when you founded the club? 11, going| on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full _

on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full of _ on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full of boys _ on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full of boys so _ on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full of boys so if _ on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full of boys so if i _ on 12. so, why? because i grew up on a street full of boys so if i didn't - a street full of boys so if i didn't get involved in a kickabout on the street then i was very much on my own so ijoined the boys. at street then i was very much on my own so ijoined the boys.— own so i “oined the boys. at what oint own so ijoined the boys. at what point were _ own so ijoined the boys. at what point were you — own so ijoined the boys. at what point were you able _ own so ijoined the boys. at what point were you able to _ own so ijoined the boys. at what point were you able to get - own so ijoined the boys. at what point were you able to get a - own so i joined the boys. at whatl point were you able to get a group of girls together to start playing? that was when i was about 15. i went to a youth club, a local youth club and a few girls wanted to play football, started having just a kickabout and joined the 5—a—side league which was unheard of in those days. dad used to transport us all in his transit van. can days. dad used to transport us all in his transit van.— in his transit van. can i ask, what was the reaction, _ in his transit van. can i ask, what was the reaction, maybe - in his transit van. can i ask, what was the reaction, maybe from . in his transit van. can i ask, what i was the reaction, maybe from some in his transit van. can i ask, what - was the reaction, maybe from some of the other mums and dads and the boys back then? iretell]! the other mums and dads and the boys back then? ~ ., , back then? well i had very sunportive _ back then? well i had very supportive parents. - back then? well i had very supportive parents. i'm i back then? well i had very - supportive parents. i'm wondering about the others. _ supportive parents. i'm wondering about the others. yeah, _ supportive parents. i'm wondering about the others. yeah, i - supportive parents. i'm wondering about the others. yeah, i was - supportive parents. i'm wondering | about the others. yeah, i was going to sa , it about the others. yeah, i was going to say, it was dependent _ about the others. yeah, i was going to say, it was dependent on - about the others. yeah, i was going to say, it was dependent on who - about the others. yeah, i was going i to say, it was dependent on who they

were. when we progressed to playing 11 aside football a lot of the people paying were young, married women. people paying were young, married women-- 50. _ people paying were young, married women.- so, me _ people paying were young, married women.- so, me at _ people paying were young, married women.- so, me at 15 - people paying were young, married women. right. so, me at 15 and --eole women. right. so, me at 15 and peeple in— women. right. so, me at 15 and peeple in their _ women. right. so, me at 15 and people in their 20s, _ women. right. so, me at 15 and people in their 20s, so - women. right. so, me at 15 and people in their 20s, so they - women. right. so, me at 15 and l people in their 20s, so they didn't need their parents. hater people in their 20s, so they didn't need their parents.— people in their 20s, so they didn't need their parents. how many people came and watched _ need their parents. how many people came and watched in _ need their parents. how many people came and watched in those _ need their parents. how many people came and watched in those days? - need their parents. how many people came and watched in those days? my| came and watched in those days? ij�*i parents! came and watched in those days? ij�*i: parents! so, came and watched in those days? ij�*i; parents! so, two, came and watched in those days? m; parents! so, two, maybe three. came and watched in those days? my| parents! so, two, maybe three. what did ou parents! so, two, maybe three. what did you think— parents! so, two, maybe three. what did you think last _ parents! so, two, maybe three. what did you think last night when you were watching? film. did you think last night when you were watching?— were watching? oh, i was very nervous- _ were watching? oh, i was very nervous- i _ were watching? oh, i was very nervous. i didn't _ were watching? oh, i was very nervous. i didn't think - were watching? oh, i was very nervous. i didn't think we - were watching? oh, i was very nervous. i didn't think we had | were watching? oh, i was very| nervous. i didn't think we had a very good start and i've seen that before because i've been to the games at new york but when we scored the first goal i was even more nervous because i thought if they equalised we might be struggling a little bit. it wasn't until we scored the third goal that i thought, we are home and dry. before we talk about — thought, we are home and dry. before we talk about sunday _ thought, we are home and dry. before we talk about sunday i'm _ thought, we are home and dry. before we talk about sunday i'm interested i we talk about sunday i'm interested in kind of how, if you can put into words, how it feels. because you're

one of that generation of pioneering women in football.— women in football. yeah, i'd like to think so. women in football. yeah, i'd like to think so- i'm _ women in football. yeah, i'd like to think so. i'm not _ women in football. yeah, i'd like to think so. i'm not trying _ women in football. yeah, i'd like to think so. i'm not trying to - women in football. yeah, i'd like to think so. i'm not trying to make - women in football. yeah, i'd like to | think so. i'm not trying to make you feel old! you _ think so. i'm not trying to make you feel old! you were _ think so. i'm not trying to make you feel old! you were there _ think so. i'm not trying to make you feel old! you were there at - think so. i'm not trying to make you feel old! you were there at the - feel old! you were there at the start. i feel old! you were there at the start. ., �* , ., , ., start. i don't mind sharing my age. good for you- _ start. i don't mind sharing my age. good for you. you _ start. i don't mind sharing my age. good for you. you see _ start. i don't mind sharing my age. good for you. you see the - start. i don't mind sharing my age. i good for you. you see the youngsters now, you see the women playing and carrying their own pride, the national pride as well, it must be a slightly strange feeling? do national pride as well, it must be a slightly strange feeling?— slightly strange feeling? do you know what? _ slightly strange feeling? do you know what? it _ slightly strange feeling? do you know what? it gives _ slightly strange feeling? do you know what? it gives me - slightly strange feeling? do you i know what? it gives me butterflies in my tummy in the same way i felt when i first started playing football. it's in your blood, you're passionate and you just can't let go. passionate and you 'ust can't let a 0- ., passionate and you 'ust can't let to. ., , , , ., go. you must wish you been born a few ears go. you must wish you been born a few years later? — go. you must wish you been born a few years later? 0h, _ go. you must wish you been born a few years later? oh, i've _ go. you must wish you been born a few years later? oh, i've said i go. you must wish you been born a few years later? oh, i've said that| few years later? oh, i've said that numerous — few years later? oh, i've said that numerous times _ few years later? oh, i've said that numerous times just _ few years later? oh, i've said that numerous timesjust recently! i numerous times just recently! absolutely but would i change anything? no, not one day. what absolutely but would i change anything? no, not one day. what are ou ho-rin anything? no, not one day. what are you hoping for— anything? no, not one day. what are you hoping for girls. _ anything? no, not one day. what are you hoping for girls, who _ anything? no, not one day. what are you hoping for girls, who are -

anything? no, not one day. what are you hoping for girls, who are maybel you hoping for girls, who are maybe 11—year—olds now? you hoping for girls, who are maybe 11-year-olds now?— 11-year-olds now? seeing their enthusiasm _ 11-year-olds now? seeing their enthusiasm on _ 11-year-olds now? seeing their enthusiasm on their _ 11-year-olds now? seeing their enthusiasm on their faces i 11-year-olds now? seeing their enthusiasm on their faces last | 11-year-olds now? seeing their- enthusiasm on their faces last night and throughout the tournament and hearing the youngsters you've just had on your show, you know, it is going up and up and the world is their oyster as they say. and good luck to them. i still encourage young girls to play the sport that i absolutely love.— young girls to play the sport that i absolutely love. rotherham united women's club. _ absolutely love. rotherham united women's club, you _ absolutely love. rotherham united women's club, you played - absolutely love. rotherham united women's club, you played in i absolutely love. rotherham united women's club, you played in every| women's club, you played in every role, as well as playing you have played in every role for the club. congratulations on your club's success and i hope you are going to really enjoy sunday night. film. i really en'oy sunday night. oh, i can't really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait- _ really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait- i— really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait. i just _ really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait. i just wish _ really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait. i just wish i - really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait. i just wish i had i really enjoy sunday night. oh, i can't wait. i just wish i had a i can't wait. ijust wish i had a ticket so if anybody wants to sell me one, i'll have it! o, ticket so if anybody wants to sell me one, i'll have it!— me one, i'll have it! a quick prediction — me one, i'll have it! a quick prediction before _ me one, i'll have it! a quick prediction before we - me one, i'll have it! a quick prediction before we go? i me one, i'll have it! a quick| prediction before we go? i'm me one, i'll have it! a quick - prediction before we go? i'm going to 3-1, to prediction before we go? i'm going to 3-1. to us- _ prediction before we go? i'm going to 3-1, to us. that _ prediction before we go? i'm going to 3-1, to us. that was _ prediction before we go? i'm going to 3-1, to us. that was set - prediction before we go? i'm going to 3-1, to us. that was set almost | to 3-1, to us. that was set almost without hesitation! _ to 3-1, to us. that was set almost without hesitation! i— to 3-1, to us. that was set almost without hesitation! i admire i to 3-1, to us. that was set almost without hesitation! i admire your. without hesitation! i admire your confidence. let's hope they live up to it. �* , confidence. let's hope they live up to it. , the confidence. let's hope they live up to it._ the founder- confidence. let's hope they live up

to it._ the founder and | to it. absolutely. the founder and now club secretary _ to it. absolutely. the founder and now club secretary of _ to it. absolutely. the founder and now club secretary of rotherham | now club secretary of rotherham united women. a day ahead of the commonwealth games, the queens's button is due to arrive. the largest number of women and para—sport athletes in its history. reeta chakrabarti is in birmingham for us there is a gentle buzz of excitement building in the city and you can see behind me a platform that was built in the central square for the celebrations. the queen's matt hunn, the commonwealth games's version of the commonwealth games's version of the olympic flame is going to arrive here after a 90,000 milejourney through the nations and territories of the commonwealth —— the queen's baton. the final bearer of it is the

proud east midlands person, lenny henry. these games are the biggest sporting event to be staged in the uk since the olympics ten years ago, and there are hopes that it will provide a major boost for the city and the region, as our correspondent joe lynsky now reports. birmingham has builtjust one new venue for these commonwealth games and it's here in sandwell, one of the most diverse and densely populated parts of the city. this place has never had a resource like this before, but now, it's got an aquatic centre. it is a very diverse community and it's got a growing economy but there are still quite high levels of deprivation in the area and we are quite keen to use the games as a springboard to create opportunities and invite investment into the area. the centre has been stitched into smethwick in sandwell borough, and by next year, it will be a multipurpose facility. for this community, it's a gateway to sport

that, without the games, would not be here. i feel extremely lucky because i don't think it willjust affect us, it will affect future generations. in like 20 years' time, yeah, "i was there, i saw this happen." it's really an amazing opportunity for us. there are a variety of sports, there's always something that we can do and it's going to be an amazing experience for us. ijoined smethwick swimming club when i was 11. _ we were fortunate to have pools close by but nothing _ like we are going to have now. we have talked about this for a long time, dreamed about it, _ and it's real now and it'sjust- going to give so many opportunities for youngsters around here. birmingham is the brand but this is a games across the whole of the west midlands, particularly their smethwick, particularly there in smethwick, one of the toughest community is really in the whole of the west midlands, if not in the uk, and the fact that they are getting something which is world—class and will be there as a facility for the community forever

in the future is a brilliant example of real legacy. birmingham's only new facility has been built with a place in mind. the council says it can keep sport here affordable. the pool at these games is made notjust for medals but for a neighbourhood. joe lenski, bbc news, sandwell. i'm joined by ian reid, ceo of birmingham 2022 commonwealth games. a big moment for you, ian. a big moment foryou, ian. it a big moment for you, ian. it has been noted that you've had much less time to prepare for these games than you will normally. 0nly time to prepare for these games than you will normally. only four years instead of seven because durban dropped out. how much of a challenge has it been? it dropped out. how much of a challenge has it been? . . dropped out. how much of a challenge has it been?— has it been? it has been a challenge and we had — has it been? it has been a challenge and we had the _ has it been? it has been a challenge and we had the pandemic— has it been? it has been a challenge and we had the pandemic on - has it been? it has been a challenge and we had the pandemic on top i has it been? it has been a challenge and we had the pandemic on top of. and we had the pandemic on top of that but the team have come through and we see it as an opportunity, being one of the first multisport events back, with full stadiums, buzzing activity and we are ready to go but during that period, the baton

would normally travel around the world and that wasn't possible and we had done it virtually instead of in person. we had done it virtually instead of in erson. �* ., ., in person. and there are other challenges. — in person. and there are other challenges, there _ in person. and there are other challenges, there is _ in person. and there are other challenges, there is a - in person. and there are other challenges, there is a rail- in person. and there are other. challenges, there is a rail strike on today. is that affecting attendance and sales? we haven't seen that, attendance and sales? we haven't seen that. no- _ attendance and sales? we haven't seen that, no. i— attendance and sales? we haven't seen that, no. ithink— attendance and sales? we haven't seen that, no. i think people i attendance and sales? we haven't seen that, no. i think people are l seen that, no. i think people are determined to get here and celebrate. it only really impacts us on one competition day, the 30th of july. on one competition day, the 30th of july, but we've seen a huge appetite for tickets. we sold more than the gold coast games, the last edition. we are having a huge appetite to engage. for we are having a huge appetite to enaaae. ., , we are having a huge appetite to enrrae. ., , ., we are having a huge appetite to enauae, ., , ., ., i engage. for people who haven't bou:ht engage. for people who haven't bought tickets _ engage. for people who haven't bought tickets but _ engage. for people who haven't bought tickets but want - engage. for people who haven't bought tickets but want to i engage. for people who haven'tl bought tickets but want to come, tickets are still on sale? the;r bought tickets but want to come, tickets are still on sale? they are, lease tickets are still on sale? they are, please visit _ tickets are still on sale? they are, please visit the _ tickets are still on sale? they are, please visit the website _ tickets are still on sale? they are, please visit the website and i tickets are still on sale? they are, please visit the website and there | please visit the website and there is a ticket office in the city. highlights like the women's t20 cricket, badminton, rugby sevens

tickets. world—class athletes coming to the city so please come along. what characterises these games as distinct from previous ones? a, few distinct from previous ones? a few thin . s, distinct from previous ones? a few thins, it distinct from previous ones? a few things. it is — distinct from previous ones? a few things. it is the — distinct from previous ones? a few things, it is the first _ distinct from previous ones? a few things, it is the first multisport i things, it is the first multisport ever to have more medals for the female athletes than the male ones, as well as the biggest integrated para programme. watching elite able—bodied and paralympians in one programme. i5 able-bodied and paralympians in one ”roramme. , ., able-bodied and paralympians in one ”roramme. , . , programme. is that the first time ever? we have _ programme. is that the first time ever? we have the _ programme. is that the first time ever? we have the biggest i programme. is that the first time i ever? we have the biggest programme and this is the — ever? we have the biggest programme and this is the most _ ever? we have the biggest programme and this is the most sustainable - and this is the most sustainable games there have been, carbon neutral, really driving down the carbon footprint, offsetting the carbon footprint, offsetting the carbon with a west midlands forest that will be planted, 2000 acres in partnership with a sponsor. that will be something special from a legacy perspective. will be something special from a legacy perspective-— will be something special from a legacy perspective. you've used the word legacy — legacy perspective. you've used the word legacy several _ legacy perspective. you've used the word legacy several times _ legacy perspective. you've used the word legacy several times and i legacy perspective. you've used the word legacy several times and we i word legacy several times and we always talk about legacy when there are big events like this. you can

see the women's euros are on. you can feel the excitement especially from young women, girls, feeling so inspired by the sport. what sort of sporting legacy do you hope these will leave, these games? the inspiration — will leave, these games? the inspiration is _ will leave, these games? the inspiration is great _ will leave, these games? tue: inspiration is great and i will leave, these games? ti2 inspiration is great and i watched the match last night and hopefully they get over the line on sunday and we hope to carry that through to our event as well because the following sunday we have the likes of the final women's t20 cricket, define of netball and hockey all on the same on the super sunday following hopefully the england victory this sunday. we hope to put women's sport right on the map. in terms of grassroots sports participation, working closely with sport england who have invested a lot in the west midlands to ensure that people have the opportunity to participate. also just around active travel and general activity supporting, cleaning up walkways etc. having the opportunity to participate, the

capacity is built out but also active travel and general activity. the excitement and anticipation is building in the city today and the queen's baton is going to arrive here, worn by that proud midlander sir lenny henry in the early evening. plenty of activity going on but for the time being, back to you. thank you. lenny henry is from dudley in the black country. millions of vulnerable people are being pushed into destitution because the government is docking their benefit payments. that's the claim from mps on the house of commons work and pensions committee, who say around two million claimants are having money deducted each month to cover debt, advances and overpayments. 0ur consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more. life isn't easy for jodine at the moment. and she's not alone. i'm trying my hardest. that's all i can do. that's what anyone can do is just try their hardest,

but it's like our hardest is just not enough. i will be blamed if i am not able to provide for my children. but it's not me that's in charge of how much i'm able to provide for my children right now. she's got four kids and depends on her universal credit payments. right, so i'm meant to be entitled to 1,750 a month. but because there is a benefits cap, i am reduced to only... i think it's 1,350 a month. and then another 100 comes off of that. with rising prices and less money coming in, she's had to make some really hard decisions. like, i can't afford my life insurance any more, so that's really, really worrying. if something happens to me, my children are going to get nothing. i can't even do a decent food shop any more because...food just costs too much!

half of all universal credit claimants have money taken out, before the payment hits their account, by an average of £62 less each month. the most common reason is to cover the five—week universal credit advance — given when people moved over onto the system. but it can also be taken to repay crisis loans, debts to third parties like councils and utility companies, and to take back overpayments made by government error. as the cost of living is set to increase, a cross—party group of mps want the government to put a pause on those deductions. given that benefits are already at a very low level, if you've got deductions taken out of those, as well, then you've got really serious hardship. and it's people who are having deductions taken out of their benefit at the moment who are having to choose between heating and eating and having to skip meals to make sure that their children get a meal, those kind of things.

and the deductions are making those problems very much worse. the committee also want to see the benefit cap raised for everyone, but the department for work and pensions said they had already restricted the total amount of deductions that could be taken to 25% of payment, and doubled the amount of time people have to pay money back to two years. asjodine braces herself for higher bills, that doesn't feel like enough, but she thinks that pausing deductions would help. it would at least give me a standing point to kind of put myself back on an even keel. colletta smith, bbc news. let's speak to katie schmuecker, principal policy advisor atjoseph rowntree foundation — which is a think tank focused on tackling poverty in the uk. thank you for talking to us. do you have a sense atjoseph rowntree of

how extensive this practice is? yes. how extensive this practice is? yes, lookin: how extensive this practice is? yes, looking across _ how extensive this practice is? yes, looking across universal— how extensive this practice is? i2: looking across universal credit, almost half of recipients are having benefits deducted. we know from our work the hardship that causes four people. so it's really great to see the select committee highlighting the select committee highlighting theissue the select committee highlighting the issue today. we did a big survey recently of low income households asking people about the things they are having to do to cope with the cost of living crisis. we asked about the essentials that people are going without, skipping meals, going hungry or not being able to afford to heat their homes, going without basic toiletries, reducing the number of showers they have because they can't afford it. what we found is notjust widespread people going without essentials but the problem was made so much worse by the deductions. people on universal credit, three quarters went without essentials, rising to nearly everybody who was having their

universal credit deducted. 94% of universal credit deducted. 94% of universal credit deducted. 94% of universal credit recipients with a deduction going without essentials. we need to see an affordable deductions to benefits being stopped immediately. the deductions to benefits being stopped immediatel . .., . ., , immediately. the committee clearly shares our immediately. the committee clearly shares your concerns, _ immediately. the committee clearly shares your concerns, the _ immediately. the committee clearly shares your concerns, the chairman | shares your concerns, the chairman stephen timms, the former labour work and secretary was on earlier on bbc news talking about that. but in terms of actually making the deductions, presumably somebody sits down before they do that and says 0k, can this person before it? i mean, i'm smiling because of course that's what you'd expect but unbelievably, that isn't what happens. i think your package made a really important point, that part of the reason why these deductions are so difficult for people to manage is because after a decade of both levels of social security, they are very low, and it is difficult for people to make ends meet on them anyway. adding a deduction and it

becomes harder still. to illustrate that for your viewers, a single person reliant on basic benefits gets £77 a week to cover essential living costs. you can currently take up living costs. you can currently take up to 25% in a deduction, a quarter of that money, which is already clearly difficult to live on at the best of times and impossible in the midst of a cost of living crisis. we need to see the maximum rate where peak deductions can be made to be brought down but i'd like to hear is the conservative party leadership contenders talking about what they will need to ensure the social security system is providing security system is providing security for people's needs and can meet the cost of essentials at all times but especially now. picking up on the department _ times but especially now. picking up on the department of— times but especially now. picking up on the department of work- times but especially now. picking up on the department of work and i times but especially now. picking up i on the department of work and saying it has restricted the total amount of deductions that can be taken and

doubling the amount of time until money can be given back and now an energy company cannot request that bills are paid automatically out of benefits so it has taken some steps to try and mitigate the impact? all of those things are better than what was the case before but what our survey shows is that clearly it's not enough and people are still experiencing high levels of hardship and that should not be allowed to continue. we would like to see that maximum rate of deductions being brought down even lower still so that people can afford to make ends meet and cover the cost of essentials. but in the longer term we have got to address this question of the basic rate of social security and the level of security it provides to people.- and the level of security it provides to people. and the level of security it rovides to --eole. . ~ , provides to people. thank you very much for being _ provides to people. thank you very much for being with _ provides to people. thank you very much for being with us _ provides to people. thank you very much for being with us on - provides to people. thank you very much for being with us on bbc i provides to people. thank you very i much for being with us on bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise

hello, there. more cloud around for the remainer of the day. just the risk of a few fairly isolated showers but certainly a bit fresher than it's been of late with temperatures actually just below par for the time of year, topping out between iii and 22. with a little more instability as we go through the night we may see showers developing in northern wales and england, into northern ireland. quite a lot of cloud so temperatures holding up. not as cold a start as the morning just passed. we go into thursday with some showers which will gradually drift steadily north. a fair amount of cloud around as we go through the day. largely dry and gradually they wind direction changing from the fresher northerly we've had just recently to a light but southerly or south—easterly direction. as a result temperatures will be a degree or so up in comparison to today with highs ranging from m to 23.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: disruption as the latest rail strikes across the uk mean only 20% of train journeys are going ahead. over nine million people tuned in to see england reach the final of the women's euros last night thrashing sweden 4—0. the broadcaster nicky campbell alleges he and some of his friends were physically and sexually abused at school in the 19705. the edinburgh academy has apologised to anyone who was abused there. mps call for benefit deductions to be paused. the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. sport now and for a full round up, let's go to the bbc sport centre.

good afternoon. i'm austin halewod with your latest sports news. on the eve of the commonwelth games, english sprinter dina asher—smith has announced that she won't be competing in birmingham. the former 200 metre world champion says she's pulling out because of a light hamstring tear. asher—smith, who won a bronze medal at the world championships last week in the united states, was running for gb in the 4x100 relay, when she sharply pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury. well, asher—smith returned home on sunday for a scan. and unfortunately her fears were confirmed. in a post on social media she said... not long to wait. the opening cermeony for the games is tomorrow. now to the euros and a tv audience

of more than nine million watched england's women thrash sweden 4—0 at bramall lane last night, to book their place in sunday's final at wembley. after a cagey opening half an hour, the lionesses roared into action, first of all thanks to beth mead. she opened the scoring and england never really looked back. lucy bronze doubled their lead in the second half, before alissia russo�*s fabulous back heel, one of the standout moments of the game, made it 3—0. and then fran kirby added a fourth to confirm england's place in the final on sunday. what a night it was for english football. the former arsenal and england striker ian wright spoke to bbc sport about the importance of batting away negativity and the impact the lionesses�* success will have on young girls around the country. you are never going to not get the

negativity— you are never going to not get the negativity from people. i saw wonderful quote when somebody said don't worry— wonderful quote when somebody said don't worry about the dinosaurs screaming — don't worry about the dinosaurs screaming at the media. the women's game _ screaming at the media. the women's game is _ screaming at the media. the women's game is here — screaming at the media. the women's game is here to stay and these ladies — game is here to stay and these ladies are _ game is here to stay and these ladies are inspiring everybody anything is going to stop them. i love it. _ anything is going to stop them. i love it. i— anything is going to stop them. i love it, i hope they can finishing it off— love it, i hope they can finishing it off because they deserve to. they are all_ it off because they deserve to. they are all heroes. all the people who had to— are all heroes. all the people who had to take those girls all over the country— had to take those girls all over the country to— had to take those girls all over the country to try and get to play football, _ country to try and get to play football, they must be sitting there so proud _ football, they must be sitting there so proud of what's happening at the moment _ so proud of what's happening at the moment. only 63% of girls dotted at i'm moment. only 63% of girls dotted at i'm hoping _ moment. only 63% of girls dotted at i'm hoping that by 2024 they are trying _ i'm hoping that by 2024 they are trying to— i'm hoping that by 2024 they are trying to make sure it can happen every— trying to make sure it can happen every school and 100% of girls can .et every school and 100% of girls can get the _ every school and 100% of girls can get the opportunity to play football. so the big question now is, who who will england face in the final? well they don't have long to wait to find out. germany take on france at stadium mk at 8:00pm tonight in the second semi—final. the germans are the most successful team in the history

of the competition, having won it on eight previous occasions. but they'll be without winger klara buhl for the game. she's out after testing positive for covid—i9. as for france, they've already made history by reaching the semis. they are unbeaten in 18 matches, but they've never made it past the quarter—finals before, and the nation are still yet to win a major trophy in the women's game. you can watch that match from 7:30pm tonight on bbc one. and there's just one other football line to bring you, in the men's game. manchester united have signed defender lisandro martinez from ajax, in a deal worth £57 million. united boss erik ten haag signed the argentina international during his time at ajax and they'll be reunited this season. he's signed a five—year—deal at old trafford and he was clearly keen to be re—united.

that is the sport for now. i hope you enjoyed the game last night as well. an employment tribunal has ruled that a criminal chamber discriminated against a barrister with "gender—critical" views. allison bailey took discrimination action against her employer, garden court chambers, and the charity stonewall, which it had been working with. our correspondent, sean coughlan, has been following the case. she has won £22,000 in damages. she

was discriminate against germs of work and she lost income because of her beliefs. part of the claim was against stonewall the campaign group and that was also thrown out. the chambers say they might be considering an appeal as well. it's a bit of a mixed bag of outcomes. it's a reminder i suppose employers have to tread carefully and how they handle cases particularly with social media. this is a big area of employment law a lot of people have not fully grasped. that people can put stuff out on social media and an employer can say hang on it reflects on you as a professional within our organisation and the act against it even though it's an expression of privately held views.— even though it's an expression of privately held views. that's right. it's a ferociously _ privately held views. that's right. it's a ferociously contested - privately held views. that's right. it's a ferociously contested area. | it's a ferociously contested area. very strong feelings on both sides. this is about her tweets which were investigated but also she tweeted back saying they were being

investigated so it's a bit of the twitter war. investigated so it's a bit of the twitterwar. it's investigated so it's a bit of the twitter war. it's not the last we will hear of it. it's something that will hear of it. it's something that will carry on. it's a very contentious area, what rights you have as an individual and how does it reflect on your employer? and to what extent can an employer in force its beliefs and values on its individual employees. it's a complicated thing. the complication of this outcome shows that we will have to think about it in the future. the broadcaster nicky campbell has alleged that he was sexually and physically abused at a private boys' school in edinburgh in the 19705. speaking on a bbc podcast, the 5 live presenter described being beaten up and touched inappropriately by teachers at edinburgh academy. the school has apologised to anyone who was abused there. our scotland correspondent, alexandra mackenzie, has this report. nicky campbell has been a radio and tv presenter since the 1980s, often discussing sensitive issues

experienced by others. now nicky tells his own story. i know i'm amongst friends, i may have a wobble... for the first time he's publicly said he was a victim of abuse at a private school in edinburgh in the 19705. at school i was very horribly, badly beaten up by a teacher who is a leading light in the scripture union. at the age of ten, nicky said he witnessed his friend being abused by a teacher in a changing room. he was known to us as a predator and a 5adi5t, but we never told anyone, and my school friends... excuse me, i'll be all right... ..my school friends and i talk about it now to each other about him with contempt and disbelief and incomprehension, that that sort of thing happened in plain sight and nothing was done. so why didn't we as little boys tell anyone in power what was happening? i don't know. in a statement,

edinburgh academy said... "it deeply regrets what has happened in the past and apologises wholeheartedly to those concerned. we have worked closely with the relevant authorities, including police scotland with their inquiries and would like to provide reassurance that things have dramatically changed since the 19705. the academy has robust measures in place to safeguard children at the school with child protection training now core to the ethos of the academy". on nicky campbell's radio 5 live programme, many people called in inspired to tell their story, their experience of painful, historical abuse for the very first time. and his testimony echoes that of fellow pupils who have given evidence to the long—running scottish child abuse inquiry. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news. i'm joined now byjon bird, head of research and analysis at napac,

the national association for people abused in childhood. he's been talking this morning to nicky campbell on radio 5 live. the kind of reaction is what listeners were having to say as a result of what they had heard nicky disclose. b. result of what they had heard nicky disclose. �* , ., , ., , disclose. a huge number of people called in and _ disclose. a huge number of people called in and only _ disclose. a huge number of people called in and only a _ disclose. a huge number of people called in and only a few _ disclose. a huge number of people called in and only a few of - disclose. a huge number of people called in and only a few of them i disclose. a huge number of people | called in and only a few of them got on air. they couldn't fit everyone in. we've always known there is a huge number of people who suffered abuse in childhood and many never speak out. one of the key things is to make it easierfor people speak out. one of the key things is to make it easier for people to talk about these things. the more people talk about it as nicky has bravely done now, the easier it becomes for other people who are wondering may be what happens to me counts as abuse or maybe it didn't. he doesn't describe being violated in a sexual

way, he suffered physical abuse, but he witnessed a lot of very dangerous sexual abuse and many others did. so it's great that he's doing it and it makes it easier for people to speak out and the more that happens the safer the world today becomes. i suppose in part it's how people in the reporting of his case, how they handle that, and you will be in a better position to tell me this because you are a survivor of abuse and you've talked openly about what you went through, it's presumably quite a long journey decode before you disclose yourself and ijust wonder whether the amount of tension we give to celebrities and well—known figures when they talk about it as compared to all those cases that do emerge whether in court cases of the forms like all those disclosures in the child abuse inquiry at the moment where people

up inquiry at the moment where people up as a footnote in a 5000 report, they don't get the level of attention that inevitably people who already have a high profile will receive having gone through exactly the same kind of suffering. i receive having gone through exactly the same kind of suffering.- the same kind of suffering. i think that's very — the same kind of suffering. i think that's very true. _ the same kind of suffering. i think that's very true. there _ the same kind of suffering. i think that's very true. there are - the same kind of suffering. i think that's very true. there are a - the same kind of suffering. i think that's very true. there are a huge| that's very true. there are a huge number of people who never speak out. we know that because we are getting first disclosures from people who have grown up and our eldest daughters her 905. most of the abuse in childhood does happen in the home. the police now recognise that. the police will take these things very seriously when they hear about it and that is great progress because it's not always been the case that the police to take these things seriously. all these different types of abuse have an impact on people whether it is sexual or physical or emotional

abuse and there are a lot of quotes from ian wright and his commentating on the lioness is a great success, not that long ago he had a bbc report about how he suffered physical and emotional abuse in childhood in the domestic home and he's got a profile and he is using it. some people who are not famous will not get all the attention but it's great that people who have got a name are speaking out now because it gives permission for those people who maybe can't afford to pay for therapy but will at least be heard and started to work through those painful memories in a way that is supportive and that will be challenged. that did happen in the past. challenged. that did happen in the ast. ., . challenged. that did happen in the ast, ., ., ., ~' challenged. that did happen in the nast. ., . . ~' . past. you have talked about the ma'ori past. you have talked about the majority of _ past. you have talked about the majority of boost _ past. you have talked about the majority of boost takes - past. you have talked about the majority of boost takes place i past. you have talked about the majority of boost takes place in | past. you have talked about the i majority of boost takes place in -- majority of boost takes place in ——

involving somebody a child knows and involving somebody a child knows and in a domestic setting. the other side is the institutions which is what nicky is talking about. is it possible to say whether things are better in institution settings now than they were in the 19705? or do we not know? i than they were in the 1970s? or do we not know?— we not know? i would say they are certainly better _ we not know? i would say they are certainly better but _ we not know? i would say they are certainly better but not _ we not know? i would say they are certainly better but not good - certainly better but not good enough. we can't say with absolute certainty that every child in an institution are safe and as nicky mentioned this morning there are many people growing up in local authority care or other forms of residential care where there is still danger going on and we know for example of the recent reports about abuse in telford where grooming gangs targeted young people in local authority care. it's still going on. it's better than it was

but it nowhere near good enough. that is where we are at.— but it nowhere near good enough. that is where we are at. thank you very much- — if you've been affected by this, details of organisations which offer information and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. or you can phone for free on 0800 077 077. it's almost a year since the taliban retook power in afghanistan — and resistance forces loyal to the previous government are fighting an insurgency. at the moment clashes are limited to a handful of areas, long known for anti—taliban sentiment and the group dismisses the threat posed by them. but resistance forces are behind the most sustained clashes afghanistan has seen over the past year.

secunder kermani was given rare access to one of the areas where they've been active — the andarab valley. out on patrol. the taliban are now more powerful than they've ever been. more powerful than the old afghan government ever was. but in this scenic part of the country, they're facing a resistance movement. a small band of guerrillas led by former army soldiers is launching attacks here in andarab as well as in neighboring panjshir province, where they recently managed to bring down a taliban helicopter. it's hard to get a sense of the true scale of the fighting. the resistance exaggerate their strength, whilst the taliban outright deny their presence. translation: you can see yourself, we only have a small military presence here. there are no problems. i was told of at least one ambush

on a taliban vehicle in this valley. that was a long time ago. we carried out some operations in the mountains and now there is nothing. elsewhere in this province, resistance fighters managed to take over a taliban military post, pulling down theirflag. but when we visit andarab, they're the ones in charge. from what we've seen, the taliban are in firm control of the territory here. that's presumably why they're happy for us to have visited. but they're also accused of committing serious human rights abuses in trying to stamp out this resistance movement. relatives told us villagers abdul hashim and nur rullah were detained and killed after wrongly being accused of attacking the taliban. these are the dead bodies of a doctor and five members of his family murdered last year.

relatives allege he was targeted for treating members of the resistance. earlier this year, another doctor was also killed. i've been told of two doctors in andarab who were killed, four young men who were killed after being detained. we've spoken to people who knew them. eyewitnesses, they say they were arrested and then shot. translation: there was one doctor who was killed at his home that was due to some personalfeud. a5 for people being taken out of their homes, detained, bound and then killed, we totally refuse this. yes. if there is a clearance operation in an area and someone violently resist the government forces, they will be killed or arrested. that happens everywhere in the world. accompanied by taliban fighters at all times,

it was hard to gauge what locals really think. many we contacted secretly strongly oppose the taliban, but some also criticised the resistance forces. we managed to speak to one of their commanders. surely there's no actual chance of you defeating the taliban. so, what's the point in continuing the violence? translation: well, our fight is forjustice, - for brotherhood equality and for the real islam, not the islam of the taliban, which defames the religion. ourfight is for the rights of our sisters. the prophet muhammad said education is compulsory for both men and women. the taliban's insurgency over the past two decades was in part fueled by anger at aggressive raids and the killing of civilians by international forces and the afghan army. here in andarab and the surrounding areas, despite recruiting some

locals, many see the taliban as outsiders, and they risk repeating the same mistakes as their old opponents. sekunder kermani, bbc news, andarab. the former us president donald trump has made his first speech in washington since leaving office, repeating false claims that the election had been stolen. he described the united states under president biden as a nation in decline. he stopped short of announcing his candidacy for 2024, but predicted republicans would retake the white house. many of the world's mountain glaciers are at risk of being lost because of climate change. scientists are warning if current trends continue, the alps glaciers could lose more than 80% of their current mass in the next 80 years. temperatures are currently warming at 0.3 degrees celcius per decade, about twice as fast as the global average.

mcdonalds is increasing the price of its cheeseburgers in the uk for the first time in 14 years. the company said it would be adding between 10 and 20 pence to a number of its menu items because of high inflation. kitkat maker nestle, marmite maker unilever and bakery chain greggs are among those which have already increased prices this year. vast amounts of planet—heating carbon dioxide are created during the manufacture of the items we use in our everyday lives. in fact, the making of these materials creates more greenhouse emissions than all the world's planes, lorries, cars, train and ships put together. the paper industry alone contributes nearly one billion tonnes of carbon emissions globally every year. our energy and environment analyst, roger harrabin, reports. countless millions of trees are felled worldwide to satisfy our demand for paper and cardboard. the process uses lots of heat, much of it created by

polluting coal or gas. this firm in sweden is heading for zero carbon emissions, but pulp and paper worldwide is the fourth biggest carbon emitting industry. amazingly, demand for paper is still going up. after 50 years of talking about the paperless office, we haven't got there. so we could change that by changing the amount of paper and packaging that we're all using. i'm now going to introduce you to an invention that is so bold, so brilliant, and so extraordinary that you will think it is a trick. it isn't a trick. this is real. it's to do with solving the problem of what we can do with all the waste paper in the world, all the paper we print up and then just throw away. well in here, there's a machine that's going to wipe the words off the page. this is barack, who's behind the project? barack, we've got some printed paper here.

can you wipe those words off the page, please? absolutely, roger. it's done with a powerful laser and a special paper coating that stops ink soaking into the page. each sheet can be reused up to ten times. and look at the transformation. that is absolutely amazing. barack, what have you done with the words? well, we've basically evaporated the ink. and what's left is just pigments of the ink which we collect. and those can be recycled back into new printer inks. so you've vaporized the script? completely. so how is this going to become an everyday part of office life? we're converting existing printers with our solution, so we have a printer, and then you have a de—printer that could sit next to every printer and work with every printer in the world. that invention may work with paper, but what about the cardboard that floods through our doors as retail shifts online? do we really need it? this is one household's box mountain

afterjust a couple of months. we're simply consuming too much stuff. it's a terrible habit, we've got to kick it. roger harrabin, bbc news. hello. just over a week ago, we were talking extreme heat by day and night with temperatures in many places not falling below the low 205, but first thing this morning, what a difference —

low single figures to greet us, quite widely across the country, and the reason being that high pressure is dominating, but we had clear skies allowing temperatures to fall away and the wind source is coming from the north so that meant a cooler start for many. generally, it's going to be a fresher feel through the day today. there will be some cloud developing into the afternoon, which could trigger off a few fairly isolated and well—scattered showers. top temperatures generally ranging from 14—22 celsius, just below par for this time of year. this evening and overnight, we will see more organised showers moving out of north wales into the north of england, drifting steadily northwards. more cloud through the night tonight so temperatures will hold up widely into double figures. tomorrow morning, we are going to see some showers into northern ireland, northern england, gradually pushing across the borders into scotland. a fair amount of cloud generally through thursday, but the high pressure is drifting east and the wind direction is changing to more of a southerly so perhaps a degree or so warmer for many through the course of the day. top temperatures 14—23 celsius and as the high pressure continues to push steadily east into friday, warmer still. however, this weather front brings a strengthening wind and the risk of some rain later on in the day,

but there will be lots of sunshine with those light winds coming through. dragging up and tapping into the warm air across the near continent at the moment, temperatures perhaps peaking in central and southern england into the mid to high 205, but there will be some wetter weather gradually pushing into the far north and west. that's going to continue to be an issue for the start of the weekend so a bit of a north—south divide developing as we move into the weekend. breezy and wetter at times in the far north, but the rain never really getting into southeast england and east anglia with temperatures here once again into the mid 205.

this is bbc news. the headlines. disruption as the latest rail strikes across the uk mean only 20% of train journeys are going ahead. over nine million people tuned in to see england reach the final of the women's euros last night — thrashing sweden 4—0. the broadcaster nicky campbell alleges he and some of his friends were physically and sexually abused at school in the 19705. the edinburgh academy has apologised to anyone who was abused there. mp5 call for benefit deductions to be paused. the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. on the eve of commonwealth games opening in birmingham — we'll hearfrom a proud midlander about what the event

will mean for the region. it's a testament to birmingham's tenacity. we get knocked down but we come back. we're coming back in style. this is going to be huge. i believe the opening is going to knock people pass socks off. —— people's socks off. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. rail passengers are facing huge disruption again after thousands of workers walked out in a continuing dispute about pay and working conditions. only about a fifth of britain's train services are running — many areas having no services at all today. the red lines here show the routes where some trains are operating — but network rail has warned people to travel only if

absolutely necessary. many train journeys will have already come to an end because services are finishing earlier than normal. our correspondent emma simpson has this report. going nowhere. once again, half of the uk's rail network brought to a halt. at manchester piccadilly some trains were leaving with travellers trying to navigate the disruption. stressful. yeah. just a big change of plans. we've been up since 3:00 in the morning and flying from malaga. london euston is normally the sixth busiest station in the uk, but only a skeleton service today. actually no problems. it's about four trains an hour, which is pretty good. good on them. i support them. i think it's appalling actually what people are expected to live off. it wasn't just train disruption. at glasgow central station, protesters briefly descended to show their support for the walkout. a rail dispute that's getting messy.

more picket lines with the two sides seemingly as far apart as ever. the rmt now accused of blocking an 8% pay deal over two years. well, we haven't got an offerfrom network rail, or the train operating companies that suits the needs of the dispute. the train operating companies have made no offer on pay and they've given us no guarantee of no compulsory redundancies. so the gap between the two parties is too big and the responsibility for that lies with grant shapps and this government who dictate the terms that the companies can offer, and he's refusing to budge. the transport secretary says only the union and the employers can reach a settlement, but the industry has to modernise to survive and he wants changes to restrict further strikes coming down the tracks. what you've got is one union, the rmt, on strike today, a different union, the aslef on strike in in three days time.

and because they're colluding between themselves to set these strike dates, they're causing maximum damage to the passenger, to the traveller. now, i don't think that they should be able to go around doing that. we don't allow flying pickets, but we're allowing this form of collusion in order to make sure there's permanent chaos on the railways. but many will have avoided it by working from home. this is already a miserable summer for travel. without a major breakthrough, more rail strikes will follow next month. emma simpson, bbc news. our correspondent simonjones has been at london's euston station. he says it has been unusually quiet. yeah, pretty extraordinary scenes when you consider this is normally the sixth busiest railway station in britain. today at times it has been pretty deserted. they're only running 56 of the normal 315 passenger services you see on a weekday so that gives

you an idea of how few services there are and how badly things have been affected. of course this is one of a few stations actually running services. 20% of the network is running today. 50% of stations have no services at all. that gives you an idea of the impact. in terms of services, although it's early afternoon they already starting to wind down for the day. if you wanted to get a train from london to edinburgh you are too late because the last one departed at 2:00pm and if you are going to manchester the last train is at 3:30pm and the final service from here will be the 1730, to bletchley. in terms of the dispute, the two sides seem as divided as ever. there were three strike dates last month but they were on a tuesday, thursday and saturday but they have a knock—on effect. it was hoped the sides would make

some progress in talks after that but they seem idea ideologically and even physically very apart because today we've had network rail here in the station doing a round of media interviews while just outside the station we've had the rmt picket line, mick lynch, the general secretary visiting that, and the former leader of the labour partyjeremy corbyn also visited the picket line. they are very far apart in what they are saying and a real degree of mistrust because you've got network rail saying they made a decent and fair pay offer that affordable. the rmt say they have had no decent offer and it isn't keeping up with the cost of living crisis. network rail say there will be no compulsory redundancies. the rmt say that they don't believe that assurance. that's the divide that they now have to try and bridge. in terms of strike action, strike action for the rest of today and on saturday, further action involving the train

drivers�* union, aslef, and then two more rmt strikes scheduled for next month so this looks far from over. we can speak now to sian elliott. she's head of public services for the trades union congress. thanks for talking to us. the sense of mismatch between the expectations of mismatch between the expectations of employees represented through their trades unions and the expectation of employers seems to be very wide at the moment. do you have an explanation, a theory as to why that is? we an explanation, a theory as to why that is? ~ ~ an explanation, a theory as to why that is? ~ ,, ., ., �*, that is? we think part of what's auoin on that is? we think part of what's going on here _ that is? we think part of what's going on here is _ that is? we think part of what's going on here is that _ that is? we think part of what's going on here is that the - that is? we think part of what's - going on here is that the government have extensive powers over what the rail firms can offer and what they can agree on and that there is a degree of the government controlling things from behind—the—scenes and prolonging the dispute. on the

employer side, the rail companies and unions and their members, we want to bring this to a resolution as soon as possible and the person that needs to become clean and be honest of their role is grant shapps, the ministerfor transport shapps, the minister for transport and shapps, the ministerfor transport and that's what we are calling on him to do. it means employers and unions can't negotiate a deal. the bottom line _ unions can't negotiate a deal. the bottom line is _ unions can't negotiate a deal. the bottom line is that the rail industry is largely funded by the taxpayer, with some money coming back through fares, but not enough to support the whole service. the transport secretary represents the interests of the public, but there has been, for several decades, since privatisation, an arm's—length relationship. there is nothing new in that, is there? irate relationship. there is nothing new in that, is there?— in that, is there? we know that privatisation _ in that, is there? we know that privatisation isn't _ in that, is there? we know that privatisation isn't working - in that, is there? we know that privatisation isn't working in - in that, is there? we know that| privatisation isn't working in the rail sector. privatisation isn't working in the rail sector-— privatisation isn't working in the railsector. , , ., �*, ., , rail sector. sorry but that's not my

cuestion. rail sector. sorry but that's not my question. there _ rail sector. sorry but that's not my question. there is _ rail sector. sorry but that's not my question. there is nothing - rail sector. sorry but that's not my question. there is nothing new - rail sector. sorry but that's not my question. there is nothing new in l question. there is nothing new in the secretary of state being behind—the—scenes. they've always had a veto, haven't they come on what the companies did, even in this arm's—length relationship because it's been a regulated industry. yes. it's been a regulated industry. yes, what's happening — it's been a regulated industry. yes, what's happening is _ it's been a regulated industry. us: what's happening is that workers it's been a regulated industry. isis what's happening is that workers are seeing prices soaring on everyday essential items and they are demanding a fairer pay deal as part of this dispute and part of it is about maintaining passenger safety and that's coming on the back of a decade where those workers had their pay held down with pay cuts for cleaners, those working in the ticketing and elsewhere. we are seeing that across the public sector, pay cuts for huge members of public sector staff working in health and education and elsewhere. in the cost of living crisis people

are saying that we've had enough and we need a fairer deal and we are seeing a crunch point and that's my it's important that government pay attention and instead of introducing plans to attack workers who are simply exercising their right to get a fairer deal at work, government help workers to pope by helping them to get a fairer pay deal. irate help workers to pope by helping them to get a fairer pay deal.— to get a fairer pay deal. we are in an unusual _ to get a fairer pay deal. we are in an unusual set _ to get a fairer pay deal. we are in an unusual set of _ to get a fairer pay deal. we are in an unusual set of circumstances l to get a fairer pay deal. we are in | an unusual set of circumstances at the moment because notwithstanding the moment because notwithstanding the fact that the economy has slowed so magically that inflation is having such an impact but we're in a situation where there are many vacancies. there will be those watching hussein look, if the conditions are so unworkable and unpleasant for those in the rail industry, this is a good time to go somewhere else. you can go and earn more. why hang around if you don't like the conditions question mark white stay. that would be quite a short—term view, these are skilled

professionals who enjoy their work. we want people who are motivated with experience and are skilled at their work. we don't want those people to go and it would put more pressure on the rail network at a time when we have unprecedented vacancy levels, a recruitment crisis stretching the public services to breaking point. these are key workers for our country and economy. all they're asking for is a fairer deal and we think that's absolutely right and unions are trying to support them in getting that. we can't afford to lose these workers whether they are in rail or anywhere else and we think employers want to be able to reward them fairly but that government are prolonging the dispute and making deliberate decisions to hold down the pay of rail workers and other members of the public sector.—

the public sector. thank you very much. some breaking news now from the us from the white house. presidentjoe biden has tested negative for covid, this is after he had to isolate for a number of days following a positive test result. he's still been working and the white house had put out videos and still photos of him working at his desk and leaning on the balcony of the white house to reassure people that he was fine. the worst he seems to have suffered is a very runny nose at one point according to his doctor. he's going to carry on wearing a facemask for the next ten days. joe biden was a sticklerfor the next ten days. joe biden was a stickler for wearing the next ten days. joe biden was a sticklerfor wearing his the next ten days. joe biden was a stickler for wearing his facemask last year during the pandemic, the lockdown stages of the pandemic. he's been encouraging americans to wear facemasks. he's been encouraging americans to wearfacemasks. we're going he's been encouraging americans to wear facemasks. we're going to see him fairly soon actually, over the next hour we expect him to be at the

rose garden in the white house which is better as well because if he has concerns about still being symptomatic, even if he's tested negative, if he's in the open end, there is less risk of him giving it to covid or even getting it again from somebody in the audience. we will bring you president biden as soon as he appears. lawyers representing the british—american environmentalist, morad tahbaz, say he has been freed from prison in iran on bail. he was jailed for ten years for spying in 2018. his family had expected him to be allowed to return to the uk as part of the deal that saw nazanin zaghari ratcliffe freed earlier this year. you must know this by now. england are through to the final of the women's european championship at wembley on sunday — after thrashing sweden in last night's semi—final. the lionesses beat the tournament's top—ranked side 4—0 to set up

a clash with either germany or france, who play tonight. our correspondent natalie pirks was at the match, at bramall lane in sheffield. the relief was palpable, thejoy was intense, and the dancing... ..fit for a wembley final. sweden are ranked second in the world and from the off were intent on showing us why. commentator: earps forced into a very early save. - england yet again started with the same 11 sarina wiegman had put her faith in throughout. within four minutes, top scorer beth mead almost repaid that trust. it's a good one. off the bar! heart in mouth moments. england's goalkeeper busier than in all previous matches. england needed to take a breath and with calm heads, came the breakthrough. mead! she's done it again! england lead in the semi—final! halftime brought a welcome respite and a chance to remind each other to leave no regrets on the bramall lane pitch.

lucy bronze got the memo. lucy bronze strikes goalfor england! england once again had to be alert. oh, and what a save, earps. it wasn't a clean shot, but the save needed to be perfection. mary earps, take a bow. from one goalkeeper�*s pleasure, to an absolute howler. russo, an absolute menace in sweden's box but this backheel was audacious. england's march to the wembley arch was becoming a canter and fran kirby's mastery in midfield reaped the reward she so deserved. delirium inside bramall lane! and when the final whistle blew and that semi—final hoodoo had been banished, the emotions could finally flow for players and for fans. i think when the full time whistle came, we didn't really know what to do. as you can tell, an unbelievable atmosphere.

we're excited for finals. oh, it was brilliant. brilliant. absolutely brilliant, yeah. i'm buzzing for the final. ithought, "oh, my, this is going to be hard." - and then, bam! 4—0, it's a great game, though. great game, crazy! 4—0, who would have thought it? semi final, on to the final now. i think sarina wiegman's done a fantasticjob. yeah. she's brought the youth back in, she's got the experience there. these fans, these players, in sarina they trust. it's been less than a year she's been in thejob, but the impact she's made is clear. 13 years it had been since england had been in the final of a major tournament. who would bet against them now? natalie pirks, bbc news, sheffield. we have the audience figures for last night, they've been published today. last night's match was watched by a peak television audience of 9.3 million on bbc

one with a further two million in streams online. that goes to show the real swell of support around the nation for this team and how their performance at this home euros has really captured the imaginations of many. the jubilant scenes that women's football craved. across the country, from trafalgar square to pubs in bristol, millions of fans roared in support of the lionesses as they swept sweden aside. for the home fans packed at the stands in sheffield, their unbridalled joy was epitomised by eight—year—old tess from manchester, who celebrated like her idols on the pitch. going through my mind was, because, when i'm older i want to be a footballer, so i was looking at how they were celebrating and thinking of how i was going to celebrate. with only 63% of schools

currently offering girls football in pe lessons, a former england legend gave an impassioned plea that this tournament can be a catalyst for change. we need to make sure something happens off the back of these girls and what they're doing because it's notjust legacy. it's actually making something happen off of the back of this. ten years to the days since london 2012 began, the issue of legacy was already being hotly debated. for girls like tess, it's notjust about seeing it to believe it, but having access to play the sport they've fallen in love with. the headlines on bbc news... that depends on him becoming prime minister in september. rishi sunak

said he would save the average household £160 a year. liz truss's campaign team have responded describing the proposal he's made as desperate, accusing the former chancellor of a screeching u—turn. our political correspondent david wallace lockhart has this report. rishi sunak emerges this morning with a new policy, a proposal to scrap vat on energy bills. but he's previously said such a move would disproportionately benefit wealthier households. and as we saw in his debate last night with liz truss, he's consistently argued against unfunded tax cuts. it's important what we leave our kids and our grandkids, and i think it is important to think about that inheritance. and i don't want to pass them a bill that we couldn't be bothered to pick up. 0k, and you made that... but with polls suggesting the former chancellor is the underdog, we now have a change in approach. allies of rishi sunak argue his new policy won't drive inflation.

this particular measure, - along with many other measures which provided £1,200 to the hardest pressed households, already- is targeted to make sure that some of those energy hills which are, - you know, been going up very fast because of putin's action - in ukraine, that that is tackled. liz truss' energy is focused on law and order. she's promising to publish crime league tables and ensure police officers attend every burglary. i want them focused on tackling crime, tackling criminals, not form filling, not bureaucracy. and i fear too much of our police time is spent on those types of activities. so new policies from both sides and more mudslinging. a source close to the liz truss' campaign described rishi sunak�*s vat announcement as a screeching u—turn, and his campaign said that her plans for police forces are lightweight. so it's a difficult question, though, isn't it? around half way through the debate last night, it had to be called

off after the presenter fainted off camera. it was a concerning moment, but she's now ok. with more debates to come, some tory mp5 remain concerned about the tone of this contest. david wallace lockhart, bbc news, westminster. millions of vulnerable people are being pushed into destitution because the government is docking their benefit payments. that's the claim from mp5 on the house of commons work and pensions committee, who say around two million claimants are having money deducted each month to cover debt, advances and overpayments. our consumer affairs correspondent colletta smith has more. life isn't easy for jodine at the moment. and she's not alone. i'm trying my hardest. that's all i can do. that's what anyone can do is just try their hardest, but it's like our hardest is just not enough. i will be blamed if i am not able to provide for my children. but it's not me that's in charge of how much i'm able to provide

for my children right now. she's got four kids and depends on her universal credit payments. right, so i'm meant to be entitled to 1,750 a month. but because there is a benefits cap, i am reduced to only... i think it'51,350 a month. and then another 100 comes off of that. with rising prices and less money coming in, she's had to make some really hard decisions. like, i can't afford my life insurance any more, so that's really, really worrying. if something happens to me, my children are going to get nothing. i can't even do a decent food shop any more because...food just costs too much! half of all universal credit claimants have money taken out, before the payment hits their account, by an average of £62 less each month.

the most common reason is to cover the five—week universal credit advance — given when people moved over onto the system. but it can also be taken to repay crisis loans, debts to third parties like councils and utility companies, and to take back overpayments made by government error. as the cost of living is set to increase, a cross—party group of mp5 want the government to put a pause on those deductions. given that benefits are already at a very low level, if you've got deductions taken out of those, as well, then you've got really serious hardship. and it's people who are having deductions taken out of their benefit at the moment who are having to choose between heating and eating and having to skip meals to make sure that their children get a meal, those kind of things. and the deductions are making those problems very much worse. the committee also want to see the benefit cap raised for everyone, but the department for work and pensions said they had already restricted the total amount

of deductions that could be taken to 25% of payment, and doubled the amount of time people have to pay money back to two years. asjodine braces herself for higher bills, that doesn't feel like enough, but she thinks that pausing deductions would help. it would at least give me a standing point to kind of put myself back on an even keel. colletta smith, bbc news. a day ahead of the opening ceremony of the commonwealth games, the queen's baton is due to arrive in the host city of birmingham. more than 5,000 athletes representing 72 nations and territories will compete in this year's games, which features the largest number of women and para—sport athletes in its history. there are hopes that it will provide a major boost for birmingham and the region, as our correspondent joe lynsky now reports. birmingham has builtjust

one new venue for these commonwealth games and it's here in sandwell, one of the most diverse and densely populated parts of the city. this place has never had a resource like this before, but now, it's got an aquatic centre. it is a very diverse community and it's got a growing economy but there are still quite high levels of deprivation in the area and we are quite keen to use the games as a springboard to create opportunities and invite investment into the area. the centre has been stitched into smethwick in sandwell borough, by next year, it will be a multipurpose facility. for this community, it's a gateway to sport that without the games, would not be here. i feel extremely lucky because i don't think it willjust affect us,

it will affect future generations. in like 20 years time, yeah, i was there, i saw this happen. it's really an amazing opportunity for us. there are a variety of sports, there's always something that we can do and it's going to be an amazing experience for us. ijoined smethwick swimming club when i was 11. _ we were fortunate to have pools close by but nothing _ like we are going to have now. we have talked about this for a long time, dreams about it, _ and it's real now and it'sjust- going to give so many opportunities for youngsters around here. birmingham is the brand but this is a games across the whole of the west midlands, particularly their smethwick, one of the toughest community is really in the whole of the west midlands, if not in the uk, and the fact that they are getting something which is world—class and will be there as a facility for the community forever in the future is a brilliant example of real legacy. birmingham's only new facility has been built with a place in mind. the council says it can keep sport here affordable. the pool at these games is made notjust for medals but for a neighbourhood. joe lenski, bbc news, sandwell. this evening the queen's baton will arrive in birmingham after a 90,000

milejourney through all the nations and territories of the commonwealth — and the final bearer is the comedian and famous west midlander sir lenny henry. he spoke to reeta chakrabarti in birmingham a little earlier. it's a massive honour. i've never been given a baton at any point in my life, so to receive a baton with the queen's name engraved on it is a massive thing. i'm going to carry it with pride, notjust for people of birmingham but mainly for the people of dudley in the west midlands, which is where i come from. but i'm really happy to be here. i'm chancellor at birmingham city university and i think these things have meaning, you know. it's notjust carrying the baton, for a lot of people it is, our parents came here in the 505, we walked the cold streets and we stand on their shoulders. this is a tribute to all those people who travelled anywhere to have a better life and to what people compete and have fun and yell at a big bull in the stadium in birmingham.

can't wait. and what sort of lift do you hope it will get birmingham and the west midlands? because people often say that the people here are bashful about themselves, they don't big up their area as they should. are you mad? have you been around birmingham? everybody bigs themselves up. "i'm from birmingham, it's brilliant round here! "come and have a party." birmingham is one of the most brash places in the universe. and dudley as well. i've got to focus on birmingham because that's why i'm here. the building that's happening, peaky blinders, the number of bands coming out of birmingham, duran duran are going to be here tonight. i hope they're all wearing their lineaments and bandages and have their zimmer frames with them. they're going to rock it and it's going to be brilliant. so many extraordinary things coming out of birmingham. there's this thing called create central which is going to encourage people to create, to write scripts and make more

things like peaky blinders. a film studio, there's going to be animation coming out of birmingham. the height of the hotel the other night, 90 stories high and i looked across birmingham and there so much building and planning and thought going into the next stage of birmingham. and this is part of it. it's going to rock. and you feel it's going to leave a legacy? i think it will. i think people will love it and i think it is a testament to birmingham's tenacity, you know. we get knocked down but we come back and we're coming back in style. this is going to be huge. i believe the opening ceremony is going to knock people's socks off. everyone is really looking forward to it. you mentioned that you are the chancellor of one of birmingham's universities. what is it going to mean for young people here? i think it's going to be great. birmingham is already on the map but it's going to make people proud of where they're from and it's also

going to draw attention to what a great city birmingham is. i tend not to think of it as the second city. it is a city in its own right, it's proud of what it achieves and i think young people will think yeah all right, cool, birmingham, let's go. peaky blinders! let's do this! and you are a very proud west midlander. sir lenny henry, thank you very much for talking to us. thank you very much. can i borrow 15 quid? now it's time for a look at the weather with louise hello, there. more cloud around for the remainer of the day. just the risk of a few fairly isolated showers but certainly a bit fresher than it's been of late with temperatures actually just below par for the time of year, topping out between 14 and 22. with a little more instability as we go through the night we may see showers developing in northern

wales and england, into northern ireland. quite a lot of cloud so temperatures holding up. not as cold a start as the morning just passed. we go into thursday with some showers which will gradually drift steadily north. a fair amount of cloud around as we go through the day. largely dry and gradually they wind direction changing from the fresher northerly we've had just recently to a light but southerly or south—easterly direction. as a result temperatures will be a degree or so up in comparison to today with highs ranging from 14 to 23. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: disruption as the latest rail strikes across the uk mean only 20% of train journeys are going ahead. over nine million people tuned in to see england reach the final of the women's euros last night, thrashing sweden 4—0.

the broadcaster nicky campbell alleges he and some of his friends were physically and sexually abused at school in the 19705. the edinburgh academy has apologised to anyone who was abused there. mp5 call for benefit deductions to be paused. the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. sport and for a full round up, let's go to the bbc sport centre. good afternoon, i'm austin halewod with your latest sports news. on the eve of the commonwelth games, english sprinter dina asher—smith has announced that she won't be competing in birmingham. the former 200 metre world champion says she's pulling out because of a light hamstring tear. asher—smith, who won a bronze medal at the world championships last week

in the united states, was running mfor gb in the 4x100m relay, when she sharply pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury. now to the euros and a tv audience of more than nine million watched england's women thrash sweden 4—0 at bramall lane last night, to book their place in sunday's final at wembley. after a cagey opening half an hour, the lionesses roared into action, first of all thanks to beth mead. she opened the scoring and england never really looked back. lucy bronze doubled their lead in the second half, before alissia russo's fabulous back heel, one of the standout moments of the game, made it 3—0. and then fran kirby added a fourth, to confirm england's place in the final on sunday. what a night it was for english football. baroness sue campbell is the chair of uk sport. she believes this is huge result

for the female sport that will have a big impact in the future.. emma firm i in the future.. think it would be a landmark moment i think it would be a landmark moment as _ i think it would be a landmark moment as far— i think it would be a landmark moment as far as _ i think it would be a landmark moment as far as i'm - i think it would be a landmark. moment as far as i'm concerned i think it would be a landmark- moment as far as i'm concerned for women's _ moment as far as i'm concerned for women's sport _ moment as far as i'm concerned for women's sport and _ moment as far as i'm concerned for women's sport and women's - moment as far as i'm concerned forl women's sport and women's football but probably— women's sport and women's football but probably most _ women's sport and women's football but probably most importantly - women's sport and women's football but probably most importantly for i but probably most importantly for the players — but probably most importantly for the players it— but probably most importantly for the players. it would _ but probably most importantly for the players. it would grow- but probably most importantly for the players. it would grow a - the players. it would grow a confidence _ the players. it would grow a confidence in _ the players. it would grow a confidence in our— the players. it would grow a confidence in our system i the players. it would grow a i confidence in our system and structure _ confidence in our system and structure i_ confidence in our system and structure i think— confidence in our system and structure i think if— confidence in our system and structure i think if we - confidence in our system and structure i think if we were . confidence in our system and | structure i think if we were to confidence in our system and i structure i think if we were to be successful— structure i think if we were to be successful on _ structure i think if we were to be successful on sunday. _ structure i think if we were to be successful on sunday. i- structure i think if we were to be successful on sunday. i think i structure i think if we were to be successful on sunday. i think it i successful on sunday. i think it would — successful on sunday. i think it would be — successful on sunday. i think it would be a _ successful on sunday. i think it would be a landmark— successful on sunday. i think it would be a landmark momentl successful on sunday. i think it. would be a landmark moment in successful on sunday. i think it i would be a landmark moment in the development — would be a landmark moment in the development of _ would be a landmark moment in the development of the _ would be a landmark moment in the development of the women's - would be a landmark moment in the development of the women's game. would be a landmark moment in the i development of the women's game. and even if— development of the women's game. and even if we _ development of the women's game. and even if we don't. — development of the women's game. and even if we don't. i— development of the women's game. and even if we don't, i have _ development of the women's game. and even if we don't, i have to _ development of the women's game. and even if we don't, i have to say— development of the women's game. and even if we don't, i have to say i - even if we don't, i have to say i think— even if we don't, i have to say i think we've _ even if we don't, i have to say i think we've made _ even if we don't, i have to say i think we've made massive i even if we don't, i have to say i . think we've made massive strides through— think we've made massive strides through the — think we've made massive strides through the tournament - think we've made massive strides through the tournament and i think we've made massive strides through the tournament and the i through the tournament and the players — through the tournament and the players should _ through the tournament and the players should take _ through the tournament and the players should take the - through the tournament and the j players should take the greatest credit _ players should take the greatest credit for— players should take the greatest credit for what _ players should take the greatest credit for what they _ players should take the greatest credit for what they have - players should take the greatest credit for what they have done . players should take the greatest . credit for what they have done and the way _ credit for what they have done and the way they— credit for what they have done and the way they have _ credit for what they have done and the way they have conducted i the way they have conducted themselves. _ former arsenal and england striker ian wright spoke to bbc sport about the importance of batting away negativity and the impact the lionesses�* success will have on young girls around the country. you are never going to not get

the negativity from people. i saw a wonderful quote when somebody said, don't worry about the dinosaurs screaming at the meteor. the women's game is here to stay and these ladies are inspiring everybody and nothing is going to stop them. i love it, i hope they can finish it off because they deserve to. they are all heroes — the mums, dads, brothers. all the people who had to take those girls all over the country to try and get to play football, they must be sitting there so proud of what's happening at the moment. only 63% of girls get the opportunity to play football. i'm hoping that by 2024 they are trying to make sure it can happen in every school and 100% of girls can get the opportunity to play football. so it'll be either germany or france alongside england, in sunday's final at wembley. the germans are the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won it on eight previous occasions. but they'll be without winger klara buhl for the game at milton keynes.

she's out after testing positive for covid. a5 for france, they've already made history by reaching the semi—final, and they've now got their eyes on winning a major tournament for the first time. we are calm. the team is doing well. we are calm. the team is doing well. we didn't— we are calm. the team is doing well. we didn't change _ we are calm. the team is doing well. we didn't change our— we are calm. the team is doing well. we didn't change our habits. - we are calm. the team is doing well. we didn't change our habits. we i we are calm. the team is doing well. we didn't change our habits. we did. we didn't change our habits. we did the same _ we didn't change our habits. we did the same things— we didn't change our habits. we did the same things we _ we didn't change our habits. we did the same things we did _ we didn't change our habits. we did the same things we did during - we didn't change our habits. we did the same things we did during the l the same things we did during the first part — the same things we did during the first part of — the same things we did during the first part of the _ the same things we did during the first part of the competitions. i the same things we did during thei first part of the competitions. with three _ first part of the competitions. with three days — first part of the competitions. with three days between _ first part of the competitions. with three days between two _ first part of the competitions. with three days between two games i first part of the competitions. with . three days between two games there is no room _ three days between two games there is no room for— three days between two games there is no room for impatience. _ three days between two games there is no room for impatience. we - three days between two games there is no room for impatience. we mustl is no room for impatience. we must not play— is no room for impatience. we must not play the — is no room for impatience. we must not play the game _ is no room for impatience. we must not play the game before _ is no room for impatience. we must not play the game before its- is no room for impatience. we must not play the game before its time. i not play the game before its time. we need _ not play the game before its time. we need to— not play the game before its time. we need to be _ not play the game before its time. we need to be prepared _ not play the game before its time. we need to be prepared for- not play the game before its time. we need to be prepared for the i not play the game before its time. i we need to be prepared for the game and everything — we need to be prepared for the game and everything is _ we need to be prepared for the game and everything is coming _ we need to be prepared for the game and everything is coming into- we need to be prepared for the game and everything is coming into place i and everything is coming into place bit lry— and everything is coming into place bit by bit _ and everything is coming into place bit by bit in — and everything is coming into place bit b bit. ., , and everything is coming into place bit b bit. . , , bit by bit. in the last few minutes, switzerland _ bit by bit. in the last few minutes, switzerland was _ bit by bit. in the last few minutes, switzerland was mcmullan - bit by bit. in the last few minutes, l switzerland was mcmullan rousseau has won stage four of the inaugural tour de france for women. that is all the sport for now.

legal history will be made at the old bailey tomorrow with the first televised sentencing. the footage will be made available to broadcasters, including the bbc. the move to allow cameras in the crown court follows a change in the law in 2020, but implementation was delayed in the pandemic. our home and legal correspondent, dominic casciani, is here with more details. this isn't a televised trials is it? but it is an advance on what is possible to be seen in court unless you physically go to a building. it's a really momentous change the legal system in england and wales. just to clarify, cameras have been allowed in scottish courts under the scottish legal system since 1992 but in practice the rules are strict. 3c} in practice the rules are strict. 30 ears, i in practice the rules are strict. 30 years, i had no idea it was that long. years, i had no idea it was that lonu. �* , , years, i had no idea it was that lonu. �*, , , years, i had no idea it was that lonu. �*, , . ., long. it's very complicated. what the english _

long. it's very complicated. what the english system _ long. it's very complicated. what the english system is _ long. it's very complicated. what the english system is to - long. it's very complicated. what the english system is to try i long. it's very complicated. what the english system is to try and i the english system is to try and find a halfway house and they came up find a halfway house and they came up with it nine years ago and an initial legal change said you can potentially film in courts and then decide it will only be sentencing remarks. what it means is that at the end of the criminal prosecution we will be able to have cameras in court filming thejudge we will be able to have cameras in court filming the judge explaining to the convicted defendant while they are getting the sentence they are getting. the reason it matters because that is about public trust in justice and actually seeing the bad people go to prison but it's very difficult to explain. when i go to the old bailey, we cut it down to 45 second reports. we miss all the explanation from the judge about why a particular murderer gets 20 years or another one may only get 15 years and so on. what the judiciary are concerned about is explaining how they do their work and the rationale

and how they take into account mitigation and the wider circumstances and the impact on the victims. they are hoping this televising ofjudicial comments during sentencing will actually help enhance public trust and opened a door into the court where most people never really go. i suspect the most majority _ people never really go. i suspect the most majority of _ people never really go. i suspect the most majority of adults i people never really go. i suspect the most majority of adults in i people never really go. i suspect. the most majority of adults in this country unless they are witness or called up the jury service probably never go into a courtroom. i know how fascinating it can be and how boring it can be. but in terms of the sentencing remarks, are they worried that what's going to happen is that the truncation still happens or are they putting conditions on how the material will be used? the 'udicia how the material will be used? the judiciary are _ how the material will be used? iie: judiciary are realistic about the possibilities of this. they understand that news programmes and

news programmes and we have to truncate things down. one of the things with this reform is all of the sentencing remarks will be uploaded and available on youtube. anyone can look at them. at the moment we have a situation where some comments are uploaded and they are not well read other than by lawyers because they are not promoted. they're hoping shifting it to youtube will help. you have to think about things like the supreme court factor. when the supreme court which has allowed cameras in since its inception in 2010, when it dealt with the case of borisjohnson�*s unlawful shutdown of parliament that moment of television where the supreme court explained to the public over five minutes why the prime minister had acted unlawfully became a really important moment is notjust in terms of news for us but in terms ofjustice and explaining how the law works. the judiciary are

hoping is that given a crime when it affects people it can affect people in such a profoundly they can get a little bit of that understanding through this exercise, so it's starting small at the old bailey and we are expecting the first case to go ahead tomorrow and we know what that case is. it's going to be approved in the morning before the cameras roll. but after that in theory this could happen anywhere around the country where there is a serious case. and as far as we are concerned in the media, this is good forjustice and public for justice and public understanding. forjustice and public understandinu. . ~ , i, , forjustice and public understandinu. . ~ , i the broadcaster nicky campbell has alleged that he was sexually and physically abused at a private boys' school in edinburgh in the 1970s. speaking on a bbc podcast, the 5 live presenter described being beaten up and touched inappropriately by teachers at edinburgh academy.

the school has apologised to anyone who was abused there. our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie has this report. nicky campbell has been a radio and tv presenter since the 1980s, often discussing sensitive issues experienced by others. now nicky tells his own story. the broadcaster nicky campbell has alleged that he was sexually nicky campbell has been a radio and tv presenter since the 1980s, often discussing sensitive issues experienced by others. now nicky tells his own story. i know i'm amongst friends, i may have a wobble... for the first time he's publicly said he was a victim of abuse at a private school in edinburgh in the 1970s. at school i was very horribly, badly beaten up by a teacher who is a leading light in the scripture union. at the age of ten, nicky said he witnessed his friend being abused by a teacher in a changing room. he was known to us as a predator and a sadist, but we never told anyone, and my school friends... excuse me, i'll be all right... ..my school friends and i talk about it now to each other about him with contempt and disbelief and incomprehension, that that sort of thing happened in plain sight and nothing was done.

so why didn't we as little boys tell anyone in power what was happening? i don't know. in a statement, edinburgh academy said... "it deeply regrets what has happened in the past and apologises wholeheartedly to those concerned. we have worked closely with the relevant authorities, including police scotland with their inquiries and would like to provide reassurance that things have dramatically changed since the 1970s. the academy has robust measures in place to safeguard children at the school with child protection training now core to the ethos of the academy". on nicky campbell's radio 5 live programme, many people called in inspired to tell their story, their experience of painful, historical abuse for the very first time. and his testimony echoes that of fellow pupils who have given evidence to the long—running

scottish child abuse inquiry. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news. if you've been affected by this, details of organisations which offer information and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline. or you can phone forfree on 0800 077 077. security experts in south africa have raised alarm about rampant gun violence. this follows a spate of killings in bars in recent weeks in that country which left at least twenty—five people dead in one weekend in various mass shootings. pumza fihlani looks at the country's increasing gun violence problem

and what is being done to rid criminals of unlicensed firearms. gunshot late on in sunday night in a bar outside pretoria... a shooting at a tavern packed with people. one of many incidents like it in south africa in this month alone. that same weekend, a group of armed men stormed into a bar in soweto, opened fire and disappeared into the night. 16 people were killed. the people here told us gun violence is all too common. every night they are shooting, shooting, every day. but this is not a new problem. or even unique to soweto. in cape town, dying by the gun has become the norm with communities besieged by gun violence for many yea rs. 23 people are killed with guns

in south africa every day, up from 18 people six years ago. that is a 25% increase. but these are notjust numbers. leslie's son rory was shot during a night out with friends. it has been seven years since his death but the violence continues. rory would often tell his dad that he dodged bullets because there is fighting. so it definitely was not a safe space to be. rory�*s murderer was never prosecuted. the case dismissed because of an administrative error. many experts agree that illegal firearms are a major problem in south africa. researchers say some come from neighbouring zimbabwe and even through organised crime networks where ironically, scores of handguns and rifles go missing in the care of state security departments like the army and the police and find their way into the hands of criminals. this criminologist professor says south africa's ties with violence run deep. you just can't ignore our country's past. i mean, the apartheid system

itself was really violent and very brutal. many communities, they had to respond also in an armed manner. while there have been renewed calls for a gun—free south africa, gun lobbyists say that is not the solution. the police say they are doing something about the problem. over the last ten years, they have found 70% of missing guns and say they have been destroyed. forfamilies robbed of those they love by gun violence, the solutions are coming too slowly. the headlines on bbc news: disruption as the latest rail strikes across the uk mean only 20% of train journeys are going ahead. over nine million people tuned in to see england reach the final of the women's euros last night, thrashing sweden 4—0. the broadcaster nicky campbell

alleges he and some of his friends were physically and sexually abused at school in the 1970s. the edinburgh academy has apologised to anyone who was abused there. mps call for benefit deductions to be paused. the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. environmental activists in bristol have been letting down car tyres across the city. a group calling itself tyre extinguishers has been leaving notes on suvs and axlis saying the vehicles are a climate threat. avon and somerset police now say they're treating the activity as criminal damage. here's sabet chaudhury. what did they do to your tyres? this man's car was one of 60 targeted in bristol. the note left on the windscreen telling him not to be angry and not to take it personally. this is not a 4x4, not a huge car, so how do you know we are unsafe?

tyre extinguishers say suv pier and axlis are a climate threat with high emissions as well as being a danger on the roads. they are critical of electric and hybrid cars which they say are polluting and cause congestion. the group only wanted to be interviewed with their faces masked and voices disguised, an offer we turned down. instead we took a statement from their website where they say their action is necessary because politicians have shown they will not act and that nobody is coming to save us, adding that we must end this pollution ourselves. on their twitter page as you'd expect there is a mixture of anger and support with some people praising tyre extinguishers's work and hailing them as heroes while others point out that people with disabilities might need larger cars to store a wheelchair and might be targeted despite having a blue blood. there is also concern a flat tire

might delay a doctor or someone in the emergency services. that's exactly what happened to rachel thomas who is a gp. the car behind me was an aston martin db nine that had not had its tyres deflated. there was an ancient van whose emissions were definitely going to be farmers than my car and that hadn't been touched. down the road, a fully electric suv and hybrid abraham ack had their tyres let down. for most people there is a cost to repair their vehicles, and our concern is if someone is to drive the vehicle without realising their tyres are deflated, it could have more serious consequences so we are trying to encourage people to report it to us if they've had their tyres deflated and we will make inquiries to try to track down the offender. tyre extinguishers want a ban on suvs in urban areas

as well as massive investment in public transport. for some their methods of achieving this go to far. a study reveals that gaming does not appear to impact negatively our mental health, unless you cannot stop playing. the research carried out by the oxford's internet institute, followed 40,000 gamers for six weeks and showed a distinct difference between games who play "because they want" and those who play "because they have to". i'm joined now by professor andrew przybylski, experimental psychologist at the oxford internet institute within the university of oxford. thank you for being with us. i want to ask you first about the study�*s purpose. what were you trying to establish? the purpose. what were you trying to establish? ., , , ., ., establish? the most important thing is we have been _ establish? the most important thing

is we have been worried _ establish? the most important thing is we have been worried about - establish? the most important thing | is we have been worried about games for about a0 years that psychologists have been studying them not very well so we really wanted to collect objective data on what people played when they played it and then marry that with tracking people's well—being over time. most of the time the research is survey —based and now that games are online it makes it easier to actually look at who is playing what and when. find at who is playing what and when. and ou found at who is playing what and when. and you found what? pretty _ at who is playing what and when. and you found what? pretty conclusive - you found what? pretty conclusive evidence that _ you found what? pretty conclusive evidence that it's _ you found what? pretty conclusive evidence that it's not _ you found what? pretty conclusive evidence that it's not the - you found what? pretty conclusive evidence that it's not the quantity| evidence that it's not the quantity of play, at least across these a0,000 players across six weeks. increasing or decreasing your video game play was not related to well—being. in fact you have to grind up your video game play to more than ten hours a day before you'd see the benefit of that hobby but instead of what we found was why people played. it was more important than what they played for how much. one of the things you talk in the

report about is the difficulty of getting the kind of information you need for an investigation of this kind. why is that? the need for an investigation of this kind. why is that?— need for an investigation of this kind. why is that? the data is owned b -la ers kind. why is that? the data is owned by players so — kind. why is that? the data is owned by players so when — kind. why is that? the data is owned by players so when you _ kind. why is that? the data is owned by players so when you navigate - kind. why is that? the data is owned by players so when you navigate the | by players so when you navigate the internet you leave a cookie crumb trail of data behind you in the same happens with video games. under the law in the uk and eu and parts of the us players actually own the data they should be able to donate that data to scientists. but it's really hard to exercise that right right now in the uk and saw this involved stealing directly with games companies and trying to get them on board to let their own players donate their own data so we could conduct an independent investigation. i conduct an independent investigation.— conduct an independent investigation. conduct an independent investi . ation. . . . , investigation. i can imagine why the com anies investigation. i can imagine why the companies would _ investigation. i can imagine why the companies would be _ investigation. i can imagine why the companies would be nervous - investigation. i can imagine why the l companies would be nervous because if you had found the reverse it would not be good for business. this was a study of adults and i think a

lot of people would say the big area of concern has been about children. 100% yes. once we clear the hurdle with adults and make it easy to ethically and legally and easily share data we can bring this to younger populations. the games companies and executives, they put a lot on the line when they work with scientists but i have to take them out they would that they care about the mental health of their player base as they can change games for the better if we find something scary. the better if we find something sca . , the better if we find something sca , , ., , , the better if we find something sca . , , the better if we find something sca. , :: :::::: scary. this was six weeks and 40,000 --eole so scary. this was six weeks and 40,000 people so a — scary. this was six weeks and 40,000 people so a significant _ scary. this was six weeks and 40,000 people so a significant number- scary. this was six weeks and 40,000 people so a significant number of- people so a significant number of players involved. but six weeks sounds a relatively short period in which to assess something like the kind of impact of playing games. absolutely. it's a drop in the ocean. at seven games out of 5000

that are actively played right now. it's a0,000 out of about a billion people play games and it's six weeks out of a lifetime. so what we need to do in the same way we study health records and generics, we need to be able to study people's digital lives and that means in regulation, and started, being able to enshrine people's rights, to answer the kinds of questions that i as a parent really have. of questions that i as a parent really have-— of questions that i as a parent really have. of questions that i as a parent reall have. ., ., . really have. you have children so i cuess really have. you have children so i guess they — really have. you have children so i guess they do _ really have. you have children so i guess they do play _ really have. you have children so i guess they do play video - really have. you have children so i guess they do play video games i guess they do play video games because there aren't many kids who don't now. you talk in the research about tracking well—being but you can specifically track mental health changes because they happen over a longer period than six weeks. given

that, how useful is this study? i think this study is useful because it's the beginning of an important conversation. it's notjust a conversation. it's notjust a conversation we as a society need to have with probably one of the most powerful and important entertainment industries on the planet, but it's also a starting point for conversation for us to have with our kids stop one the findings that was clear he is the reason is you have to play video games whether or not you are playing games because you say you feel like you want to or you feel a compulsion and playing games you have to, as the fulcrum upon well—being balances so it's important not to treat games as a black box especially with kids. knowing what they are playing and why they are playing it and using... knowing what your kids want to play

fortnight or whatever —— anything is a more important than whatever they are playing. a more important than whatever they are -la inc. ., ~ , . a more important than whatever they are - inc. ., , . ., are playing. thank you very much and thank ou are playing. thank you very much and thank you for— are playing. thank you very much and thank you for answering _ are playing. thank you very much and thank you for answering that - thank you for answering that question in the spirit in which it was intended. i certainly wasn't attacking your work but i was interested to have your explanation of how we should evaluate it. we will look forward to the longer study. now it's time for a look at the weather with louise. hello. just over a week ago, we were talking extreme heat by day and night with temperatures in many places not falling below the low 20s, but first thing this morning, what a difference — low single figures to greet us, quite widely across the country, and the reason being that high pressure is dominating, but we had clear skies allowing temperatures to fall away and the wind source is coming from the north so that meant a cooler start for many. generally, it's going to be a fresher feel through the day today. there will be some cloud developing into the afternoon,

which could trigger off a few fairly isolated and well—scattered showers. top temperatures generally ranging from 1a—22 celsius, just below par for this time of year. this evening and overnight, we will see more organised showers moving out of north wales into the north of england, drifting steadily northwards. more cloud through the night tonight so temperatures will hold up widely into double figures. tomorrow morning, we are going to see some showers into northern ireland, northern england, gradually pushing across the borders into scotland. a fair amount of cloud generally through thursday, but the high pressure is drifting east and the wind direction is changing to more of a southerly so perhaps a degree or so warmer for many through the course of the day. top temperatures 1a—23 celsius and as the high pressure continues to push steadily east into friday, warmer still. however, this weather front brings a strengthening wind and the risk of some rain later on in the day,

but there will be lots of sunshine with those light winds coming through. dragging up and tapping into the warm air across the near continent at the moment, temperatures perhaps peaking in central and southern england into the mid to high 20s, but there will be some wetter weather gradually pushing into the far north and west. that's going to continue to be an issue for the start of the weekend so a bit of a north—south divide developing as we move into the weekend. breezy and wetter at times in the far north, but the rain never really getting into southeast england and east anglia with temperatures here once again into the mid 20s.

this is bbc news. the headlines. another rail strike across the uk, one in five services operating. i'm at euston station in london where it is almost deserted on a fourth day of strike action by the rmt which has seen many people having to change their holiday plans and many forced to work from home. over nine million people tuned in to see england reach the final of the women's euros last night — thrashing sweden a—0. the broadcaster nicky campbell alleges he and some of his friends were physically and sexually abused at school in the 1970s.

the edinburgh academy has apologised to anyone who was abused there. mps call for benefit deductions to be paused. the commons work and pensions committee say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. i'm in victoria square in the centre of birmingham, the city and the region preparing for the start of the 2022 commonwealth games. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. rail passengers are facing huge disruption after thousands of workers walked out in a continuing dispute about pay and working conditions. only about a fifth of britain's train services are running — many areas having no services

at all today. the red lines here show the routes where some trains are operating — but network rail has warned people to travel only if absolutely necessary. it is worth saying that some services have already come to the end today. our correspondent emma simpson has this report. going nowhere. once again, half of the uk's rail network brought to a halt. at manchester piccadilly, some trains were leaving with travellers trying to navigate the disruption. stressful. yeah. just a big change of plans. we've been up since 3:00 in the morning and flying from malaga. london euston is normally the sixth busiest station in the uk, but only a skeleton service today. literally no problems. it's about four trains an hour, which is pretty good. good on them. i support them. i think it's appalling actually what people are expected to live off. it wasn't just train disruption.

at glasgow central station, protesters briefly descended to show their support for the walkout. a rail dispute that's getting messy. more picket lines with the two sides seemingly as far apart as ever. the rmt now accused of blocking an 8% pay deal over two years. well, we haven't got an offer from network rail, all the train operating companies that suits the needs of the dispute. the train operating companies have made no offer on pay and they've given us no guarantee of no compulsory redundancies. so the gap between the two parties is too big and the responsibility for that lies with grant shapps and this government who dictate the terms that the companies can offer, and he's refusing to budge. the transport secretary says only the union and the employers can reach a settlement, but the industry has to modernise to survive and he wants changes to restrict further strikes coming down the tracks. what you've got is one union, the rmt, on strike

today, a different union, the aslef on strike in in three days' time. and because they're colluding between themselves to set these strike dates, they're causing maximum damage to the passenger, to the traveller. now, i don't think that they should be able to go around doing that. we don't allow flying pickets, but we're allowing this form of collusion in order to make sure there's permanent chaos on the railways. but many will have avoided it by working from home. this is already a miserable summer for travel. without a major breakthrough, more rail strikes will follow next month. emma simpson, bbc news. joining me now from euston station is our correspondent, jon donnison. the concourse behind you really speaks for itself. i came back from stoke yesterday morning and it was heaving as you'd expect it to be in the middle of the school holidays. where has everybody gone? i think

the 've where has everybody gone? i think they've decided _ where has everybody gone? i think they've decided to _ where has everybody gone? i think they've decided to stay _ where has everybody gone? i think they've decided to stay at - where has everybody gone? i think they've decided to stay at home. i they've decided to stay at home. this is normally the sixth busiest station in the country, coming up to rush—hour as it is now you'd expect it to be packed. it's almost deserted and that's because we've had around 55 trains out of the normal 300 plus operating from euston today. you can see on the board, almost empty. four trains left today, the last one going about 5:30pm. in terms of people turning up 5:30pm. in terms of people turning up we had a few tourists, seemingly taken by surprise, saying they would have to alter their plans but i think a lot of people knew that this was coming, they altered their plans and stayed at home. for was coming, they altered their plans and stayed at home.— was coming, they altered their plans and stayed at home. for some people it is a bit easier— and stayed at home. for some people it is a bit easier at _ and stayed at home. for some people it is a bit easier at the _ and stayed at home. for some people it is a bit easier at the moment, - it is a bit easier at the moment, unlike the last strike, because it is taking place during the school holidays, with schools closed and many families not doing their normal journeys. but this strike action is probably going to continue beyond the summerjudging by what we've heard so far. and judging how far

apart the two sides appear to be. the unions claim three sites because they say the government is behind—the—scenes pulling the strings. as we heard in the peace there, mick lynch saying the two sides very far apart. more strikes planned next month. they don't seem able to agree on much at the moment, at least publicly. the rmt saying that the pay deal they've been offered, they call it a three—year pay deal because they didn't have a pay rise last year. network rail say it is a two year deal, a% each year. the rmt saying that when inflation is around 9% that isn't enough and some of those pay rises are tied to modernisation plans which the union doesn't agree with. so, at one point it seemed like we were getting closer to a deal. we don't seem to be any more and they are not the only union on strike. on saturday

we've got train drivers from the aslef union on strike and that will affect about seven train operating companies and then later in the summer we've got the tssa union striking over pay and conditions. jon donnison attic are required euston station, i hope you bought your bicycle with you today! i wanted to pick up on something mick lynch talked about when he came into the studio yesterday afternoon. we had a long interview about the prospects for today's strike. he told me that if a rail operator and the rmt agreed to deal, grant shapps has the power to stop it... let me rephrase, when grant shapps's finger is in the pie, mick leger said, we won't get a settlement unless they change their position, the government —— michael ledger said. my government —— michael ledger said.

my contact caroline has been doing some research and she points out that the shadow transport secretary louise haigh claimed in an interview on the today programme a fortnight ago that is not possible for the train operators to find a solution without the government being represented at talks because it sets a mandate, she claims, for the train operators and without them it's impossible to find a way forward and it's inevitable that industrial action will happen. that was speaking on the today programme, quoted in the yorkshire post. the institute for government, a research organisation, has done a report on this. it was actually putting out on its blog last month they claimed that there is indeed a role for government in this. it says the mail companies have had huge subsidies from government and that they are still getting them —— the rail companies. it means that it is impossible for the rail companies to increase costs without government

support. in effect, the implication is that whether it is formal or not, the government would have a veto because they have to find the extra money. in other words you had me at every other taxpayer would have to find the money. we asked the department for transport, we raised a theoretical question, if a rail operator and the rmt agreed a deal, does the secretary of state have the power to stop the deal being implemented? we are waiting for a response to that question. lawyers representing the british—american environmentalist, morad tahbaz, say he has been freed from prison in iran on bail. he was jailed for ten years for spying in 2018. his family had expected him to be allowed to return to the uk as part of the deal that saw nazanin zaghari ratcliffe freed earlier this year. but it didn't happen. england are through to the final of the women's european championship at wembley on sunday — after thrashing sweden in last night's semi—final.

the lionesses beat the tournament's top—ranked side a—0 to set up a clash with either germany or france, who play tonight. our correspondent natalie pirks was at the match, at bramall lane in sheffield. the relief was palpable, thejoy was intense, and the dancing... ..fit for a wembley final. sweden are ranked second in the world and from the off were intent on showing us why. commentator: earps forced into a very early save. - england yet again started with the same 11 sarina wiegman had put her faith in throughout. within four minutes, top scorer beth mead almost repaid that trust. it's a good one. off the bar! heart in mouth moments. england's goalkeeper busier than in all previous matches. england needed to take a breath and with calm heads, came the breakthrough. mead! she's done it again!

england lead in the semi—final! halftime brought a welcome respite and a chance to remind each other to leave no regrets on the bramall lane pitch. lucy bronze got the memo. lucy bronze strikes goalfor england! england once again had to be alert. it wasn't a clean shot, but the save needed to be perfection. mary earps, take a bow. from one goalkeeper�*s pleasure, to an absolute howler. russo, an absolute menace in sweden's box but this backheel was audacious. england's march to the wembley arch was becoming a canter and fran kirby's mastery in midfield reaped the reward she so deserved. delirium inside bramall lane! and when the final whistle blew and that semi—final hoodoo had been banished, the emotions could finally flow for players and for fans.

i think when the full time whistle came, we didn't really know what to do. as you can tell, an unbelievable atmosphere. we're excited for finals. oh, it was brilliant. brilliant. absolutely brilliant, yeah. i'm buzzing for the final. ithought, "oh, my, this is going to be hard." - and then, bam! 4—0, it's a great game, though. great game, crazy! a—0, who would have thought it? semi final, on to the final now. i think sarina wiegman's done a fantasticjob. yeah. she's brought the youth back in, she's got the experience there. these fans, these players, in sarina they trust. it's been less than a year she's been in thejob, but the impact she's made is clear. 13 years it had been since england had been in the final of a major tournament. who would bet against them now? natalie pirks, bbc news, sheffield. last night's match was watched by a peak television audience of 9.3 million on bbc

one with a further two million in streams online. that goes to show the real swell of support around the nation for this team and how their performance at this home euros has really captured the imaginations of many. the jubilant scenes that women's football craved. across the country, from trafalgar square to pubs in bristol, millions of fans roared in support of the lionesses as they swept sweden aside. for the home fans packed at the stands in sheffield, their unbridled joy was epitomised by eight—year—old tess from manchester, who celebrated like her idols on the pitch. going through my mind was, because, when i'm older i want to be a footballer, so i was looking at how they were celebrating and thinking of how i was going to celebrate. with only 63% of schools currently offering girls football in pe lessons, a former england legend

gave an impassioned plea that this tournament can be a catalyst for change. we need to make sure something happens off the back of these girls and what they're doing because it's notjust legacy. it's actually making something happen off of the back of this. ten years to the day since london 2012 began, the issue of legacy was already being hotly debated. for girls like tess, it's notjust about seeing it to believe it, but having access to play the sport they've fallen in love with. the headlines on bbc news. another rail strike across the uk with one in five services running and passengers urged only to travel if necessary. nearly 9 million people tuned in to watch england's lioness is progressing through the semifinals of the euros. nicky

campbell alleging he and some of his friends were sexually abused at edinburgh academy, at the school he attended in the 70s. the academy has apologised. a day ahead of the opening ceremony of the commonwealth games, the queen's baton is due to arrive in the host city of birmingham. more than 5,000 athletes representing 72 nations and territories will compete in this year's games, which features the largest number of women and para—sport athletes in its history. reeta chakrabarti is in birmingham for us. there's a gentle buzz of excitement building in the city — you can see behind me a platform built here in the central square for celebrations. all afternoon we have had various acts there, we have had dancers

rehearsing, musicalacts, getting ready for this evening when the queen's baton will arrive after a 90,000 milejourney through queen's baton will arrive after a 90,000 mile journey through the nations and territories of the commonwealth. the final bearer is the comedian and famous west midlander sir lenny henry. there are hopes that it will provide a major boost for the city and the region, as our correspondent joe lynsky now reports. birmingham has builtjust one new venue for these commonwealth games and it's here in sandwell, one of the most diverse and densely populated parts of the city. this place has never had a resource like this before, but now, it's got an aquatic centre. it is a very diverse community and it's got a growing economy but there are still quite high levels of deprivation in the area and we are quite keen to use the games as a springboard to create opportunities and invite investment into the area. the centre has been stitched into smethwick in sandwell borough,

by next year, it will be a multipurpose facility. for this community, it's a gateway to sport that without the games, would not be here. i feel extremely lucky because i don't think it willjust affect us, it will affect future generations. in like 20 years' time, yeah, i was there, i saw this happen. it's really an amazing opportunity for us. there are a variety of sports, there's always something that we can do and it's going to be an amazing experience for us. ijoined smethwick swimming club when i was 11. _ we were fortunate to have pools close by but nothing _ like we are going to have now. we have talked about this for a long time, dreams about it, _ and it's real now and it'sjust- going to give so many opportunities for youngsters around here. birmingham is the brand but this is a games across the whole of the west midlands, particularly in smethwick, one of the toughest community

is really in the whole of the west midlands, if not in the uk, and the fact that they are getting something which is world—class and will be there as a facility for the community forever in the future is a brilliant example of real legacy. birmingham's only new facility has been built with a place in mind. the council says it can keep sport here affordable. the pool at these games is made notjust for medals but for a neighbourhood. joe lenski, bbc news, sandwell. i'm joined by andy street, mayor of the west midlands. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. a big moment for the region and for you. sporting events are often about a feel—good factor, bringing people together. the people really need it. bringing people together. the people really need it— really need it. absolutely, when we bid for this in _ really need it. absolutely, when we bid for this in 2017 _ really need it. absolutely, when we bid for this in 2017 we _ really need it. absolutely, when we bid for this in 2017 we knew - really need it. absolutely, when we bid for this in 2017 we knew it - bid for this in 2017 we knew it would be a huge privilege to host it

but we didn't understand the contest. this is the first time we will come together after covid. all of the difficulties, the war in the ukraine, now we have a moment of celebration and celebrating the best. a big celebration to do that on behalf of birmingham, the region and the whole country. it’s on behalf of birmingham, the region and the whole country.— and the whole country. it's possible to hear the — and the whole country. it's possible to hear the celebration, _ and the whole country. it's possible to hear the celebration, the - to hear the celebration, the rehearsals going on behind us. everyone talks about legacy when big events like this happen, a lot of money and attention is put on the place. you talked about the aquatics centre in sandwell as an example of regeneration in a deprived area. what else is there of tangible benefit? when you talk about legacy, there are four big things. the s-uortin there are four big things. iie: sporting facilities like the aquatic centre which wouldn't have happened if not for these games, in a challenged area of the west midlands. and the infrastructure has

come forward. people have gotjobs as a result, skills. it is in a challenged area of the west midlands. and then there is the long—term unemployment. and then there's the business legacy, the brand of the west midlands being presented around the world and we have hundreds of international investors here over the next two weeks looking at what they will do for the west midlands as well. how much will this _ for the west midlands as well. how much will this last, _ for the west midlands as well. how much will this last, so the people getting skills and jobs, that's great, but those jobs willjoin up after the games, won't they? great, but those jobs will join up after the games, won't they? that's not true. some _ after the games, won't they? that's not true. some of _ after the games, won't they? that's not true. some of the _ after the games, won't they? that's not true. some of the temporary . not true. some of the temporary games will dry up. 25,000 jobs for the duration of the games but we've taken 7500 people and given them a relevant new skill which they will have four life. i want him to look backin have four life. i want him to look back in ten years and say that their career started in birmingham 2022. what will be a measure for you of the success of these games? [30 the success of these games? do --eole the success of these games? dr? people play on this closing ceremony that they did that, that it started

with birmingham 2022? those values of inclusivity and of clause of toleration, people assume with the west midlands and i want people to say that our reputation internationally was founded on what we are going to do in the next 11 days. we are going to do in the next 11 da s. , ., , ., we are going to do in the next 11 das., ., days. using words and tolerance. birmingham _ days. using words and tolerance. birmingham is — days. using words and tolerance. birmingham is such _ days. using words and tolerance. birmingham is such a _ days. using words and tolerance. birmingham is such a diverse - birmingham is such a diverse population. birmingham is such a diverse population-— birmingham is such a diverse population. birmingham is such a diverse --oulation. ., , ., ., ., population. really founded on what we are going _ population. really founded on what we are going to _ population. really founded on what we are going to do _ population. really founded on what we are going to do over _ population. really founded on what we are going to do over the - population. really founded on what we are going to do over the next i population. really founded on what we are going to do over the next 11 | we are going to do over the next 11 days. we are going to do over the next 11 da s. ., , ., , we are going to do over the next 11 das. days. you used the words inclusivity and tolerance. _ days. you used the words inclusivity and tolerance. birmingham, - days. you used the words inclusivity and tolerance. birmingham, such... i and tolerance. birmingham, such... liberties. there are a number of things, countries in the commonwealth- things, countries in the commonwealth , ' i commonwealth where it is difficult to be aa , commonwealth where it is difficult to be gay. for— commonwealth where it is difficult to be gay, for example. _ commonwealth where it is difficult to be gay, for example. and - commonwealth where it is difficult to be gay, for example. and we i commonwealth where it is difficult i to be gay, for example. and we have an extreme example of intel once, the situation in ukraine. in the commonwealth we have values and standards of democracy and we want to show that we are celebrating those standards of commonality and how things should be done here. bi]!

how things should be done here. all right, thank you very much indeed. andy street, the mayor the west midlands. it is hotting up in birmingham. people preparing for a big celebration. you may have noticed just after tpm you may have noticed the interviewee was still talking when reeta was handing back to me. we're trying to work out what was going on because are you that everything you have seen today apart from any —— lenny henry was recorded live. we are trying to work out how one person can be talking and then the next

person can be talking in the next bit. my theory is that, like you have a digital radio, if you have it in one part, you hear someone saying something in the kitchen, you going to the bedroom, the radio in the bedroom and you've arrived just in time to hear them saying it again and they've only sent it once. i never did understand einstein! let's returned to the euros. joining me now are frankie harrington, chelsea's ambassador for the anti—sexism campaign her game too. and she's joined by 8—year—old hazel. they're both on their way to tonight's semi—final, having also been to the semi—final last night too! are you ok, hazel? are you 0k, hazel? yeah. tell me about your— are you 0k, hazel? yeah. tell me about your feelings _ are you 0k, hazel? yeah. tell me about your feelings last _

are you 0k, hazel? yeah. tell me about your feelings last night. - about your feelings last night. absolutely buzzing, seeing the england women performing as they are, it's _ england women performing as they are, it's really inspiring for me. those _ are, it's really inspiring for me. those games, being there with hazel and my— those games, being there with hazel and my friends, i've been going for years— and my friends, i've been going for years and _ and my friends, i've been going for years and it — and my friends, i've been going for years and it is a buzzing feeling. i was talking to the founder of the rotherham women's team in 1969 when she was 11 years old and she said that apart from wishing she'd been born later so she could have been playing last night, she was talking about how extraordinary it feels after all these years to see the women's game really, it felt last night as if it was just as important as the men's game. night as if it wasjust as important as the men's game.— night as if it wasjust as important as the men's game. where now past the oint as the men's game. where now past the point of — as the men's game. where now past the point of talking _ as the men's game. where now past the point of talking about _ as the men's game. where now past the point of talking about maybe - as the men's game. where now past the point of talking about maybe the history and analysing the game. it is on an equal playing field now and i hope the legacy of the euro is to

come is impactfulfor young girls in this countryjust as around the country we seen that. it's been amazing. d0 country we seen that. it's been amazinu. ,~i country we seen that. it's been amazinu. country we seen that. it's been amazin.. amazing. do you play football, hazel? no wonder you are hoarse. can i ask you about one thing, it really doesn't matter whether they win or not on saturday. it would be great

if they did but it really doesn't matter. but what matters is something ian white was saying earlier about making the moment last. �* , , earlier about making the moment last. n, , , i, ., earlier about making the moment last. , ,i, .,, last. absolutely. the euphoria is aoinu last. absolutely. the euphoria is auoin to last. absolutely. the euphoria is going to die _ last. absolutely. the euphoria is going to die away _ last. absolutely. the euphoria is going to die away and _ last. absolutely. the euphoria is going to die away and people - last. absolutely. the euphoria is| going to die away and people get last. absolutely. the euphoria is - going to die away and people get on with their lives but behind that you want a solid, resilient kind of presence on the ground. how confident are you about that? just like in schools i hope that the schoolchildren will go into school in september after the holidays and rarely have a thirst for football and i hope to see the change in primary schools and secondary schools, offering chances for girls to play football because it starts at the grassroots level. hazel plays football outside of school. she doesn't play much football in school and i hope that changes going forward. such an easy thing that we can all get on board way. the forward. such an easy thing that we can all get on board way.— can all get on board way. the great thin now can all get on board way. the great thing now i — can all get on board way. the great thing now i suppose, _ can all get on board way. the great thing now! suppose, val— can all get on board way. the great thing now! suppose, valwas- can all get on board way. the great. thing now! suppose, valwas talking thing now i suppose, val was talking

about how she was at one point the only girl playing in the region and she started playing because she'd be on her own otherwise. at hazel�*s age, boys and girls can play on the same team and there's no issue about weight and size. it used to be a contact sport but it's not like rugby. contact sport but it's not like ruab . , ,. ., , contact sport but it's not like ruub. ., contact sport but it's not like ruub. , i, i, rugby. there is scope for eight to continue into _ rugby. there is scope for eight to continue into secondary - rugby. there is scope for eight to continue into secondary schools i rugby. there is scope for eight to i continue into secondary schools and you can learn from each other. there's facilities and other factors playing a part in that. in terms of playing a part in that. in terms of playing with each other i think children should be doing that as long as possible and that can only be a strength and benefit in the game. be a strength and benefit in the name. ., be a strength and benefit in the lame. ., ., be a strength and benefit in the name. ., i, , i, be a strength and benefit in the name. ., i, ," , be a strength and benefit in the iame. ., ., , ~' game. hazel, have you been kicking the ball around _ game. hazel, have you been kicking the ball around today? _ game. hazel, have you been kicking the ball around today? absolutely, l the ball around today? absolutely, we brouht the ball around today? absolutely, we brought it _ the ball around today? absolutely, we brought it with _ the ball around today? absolutely, we brought it with us _ the ball around today? absolutely, we brought it with us and - the ball around today? absolutely, we brought it with us and we - the ball around today? absolutely, we brought it with us and we are i we brought it with us and we are 'ust we brought it with us and we are just going — we brought it with us and we are just going to head off, aren't we? hazel— just going to head off, aren't we? hazel and — just going to head off, aren't we? hazel and frankie thank you for talking to us. don't forget to watch on sunday afternoon, hazel! flame talking to us. don't forget to watch on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on, enland! on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on, england! lovely _ on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on,

england! lovely to _ on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on, england! lovely to talk _ on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on, england! lovely to talk to _ on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on, england! lovely to talk to you, - on sunday afternoon, hazel! come on, england! lovely to talk to you, have i england! lovely to talk to you, have a nice evening- _ england! lovely to talk to you, have a nice evening. i— england! lovely to talk to you, have a nice evening. i can only— that by talking to louise lear at the weather centre. fairly isolated and as you can see temperatures holding up into double figures. a grey start on thursday morning, showers gradually drifting north and starting to become quite light and patchy in nature. elsewhere we keep a fair amount of cloud, glimpses of sunshine through the day with a light wind now coming from the south—east. it will feel a bit warmer so temperatures might peak at around 23, 2a as a high. moving towards friday, warmer still

with the southerly wind moving warmer air from the with the southerly wind moving warmer airfrom the near with the southerly wind moving warmer air from the near continent. lastly fine and sunny with it. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: another rail strike across the uk, one in five services running with passengers are to travel only if necessary. the last train leaving euston in london injust under one hour pass time. over 9 million people tuned in cm and reaching the finals of the euro football last night. they thrashed sweden a—0 and will face either germany or france in the final on sunday. broadcaster nicky campbell has said he and his friends were sexually abused at edinburgh academy, the school they attended in the 1970s. the school has apologised to anyone abused there. mps have called for benefit

deductions to be paused because of the financial crisis. they say vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the commonwealth vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the commonwealth games vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the commonwealth games at vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the commonwealth games at the vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the commonwealth games at the bbc vulnerable people will be pushed into destitution. more on the football and the commonwealth games at the bbc sports centre. good afternoon. team england have suffered a blow on the eve of the commonwelth games, sprinter dina asher—smith has announced that she won't be able to compete in birmingham. the former 200 metre world champion says she's pulling out because of a hamstring tear. asher—smith, who won a bronze medal at the world championships last week in the united states, pulled up in the ax100m relay. she said on social media that the injury was only a light strain, ut due to the short turn around, she would have to withdraw. a tv audience of more than nine million watched england's

adam peaty will be in birmingham. the double olympic champion broke his foot in may meaning he missed the world championships this year but he says he's made himself available by all means necessary. i can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't — can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't care _ can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't care if— can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't care if i've _ can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't care if i've got _ can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't care if i've got a - can't miss it. i don't think —— i don't care if i've got a brokenl don't care if i've got a broken foot, — don't care if i've got a broken foot, i— don't care if i've got a broken foot, iwill_ don't care if i've got a broken foot, i will swim _ don't care if i've got a broken foot, i will swim with - don't care if i've got a broken foot, i will swim with one. i don't care if i've got a brokenl foot, i will swim with one. it's near— foot, i will swim with one. it's near where _ foot, i will swim with one. it's near where i_ foot, ! will swim with one. it's near where i grew— foot, ! will swim with one. it's near where i grew up- foot, i will swim with one. it's near where i grew up and i- foot, i will swim with one. it'si near where i grew up and i live foot, i will swim with one. it's. nearwhere i grew up and i live in east— nearwhere i grew up and i live in east midlands _ nearwhere i grew up and i live in east midlands and _ nearwhere i grew up and i live in east midlands and i _ nearwhere i grew up and i live in east midlands and i will- nearwhere i grew up and i live in east midlands and i will probablyj east midlands and i will probably die in— east midlands and i will probably die in east— east midlands and i will probably die in east midlands— east midlands and i will probably die in east midlands and - east midlands and i will probably die in east midlands and its- east midlands and i will probablyl die in east midlands and its round the corner— die in east midlands and its round the corner from _ die in east midlands and its round the corner from birmingham - die in east midlands and its round the corner from birmingham andl die in east midlands and its roundl the corner from birmingham and it will be _ the corner from birmingham and it will be great — the corner from birmingham and it will be great to _ the corner from birmingham and it will be great to see _ the corner from birmingham and it will be great to see the _ the corner from birmingham and it will be great to see the home i the corner from birmingham and it i will be great to see the home crowd. a lot of— will be great to see the home crowd. a lot of those — will be great to see the home crowd. a lot of those england _ will be great to see the home crowd. a lot of those england flags - will be great to see the home crowd. a lot of those england flags and i will be great to see the home crowd. a lot of those england flags and the i a lot of those england flags and the crowd _ a lot of those england flags and the crowd and _ a lot of those england flags and the crowd and people _ a lot of those england flags and the crowd and people from _ a lot of those england flags and the crowd and people from the - a lot of those england flags and the crowd and people from the area i a lot of those england flags and the crowd and people from the area asi crowd and people from the area as well~ _ crowd and people from the area as well~ if _ crowd and people from the area as welt if there — crowd and people from the area as well. if there was _ crowd and people from the area as well. if there was any— crowd and people from the area as well. if there was any games - crowd and people from the area as well. if there was any games that. well. if there was any games that was going — well. if there was any games that was going to _ well. if there was any games that was going to be _ well. if there was any games that was going to be home _ well. if there was any games that was going to be home games i well. if there was any games that was going to be home games it's| was going to be home games it's pretty— was going to be home games it's pretty nruch— was going to be home games it's pretty much on _ was going to be home games it's pretty much on nry— was going to be home games it's pretty much on my doorstep i was going to be home games it's pretty much on my doorstep and | was going to be home games it's| pretty much on my doorstep and i 'ust pretty much on my doorstep and i just want— pretty much on my doorstep and i just want to — pretty much on my doorstep and i just want to go _ pretty much on my doorstep and i just want to go and _ pretty much on my doorstep and i just want to go and smash - pretty much on my doorstep and i just want to go and smash it. i a tv audience of more than nine million watched england's women thrash sweden a—0 at bramall lane last night, to book their place in sunday's final at wembley, with a further 2 million watching online as well.

what a night it was for english football. baroness sue campbell is the women's football chief for the fa, and she believes that result will have a huge impact on women's sport in the future i think it would be a landmark. moment as far as i'm concerned for women's sport and women's football but probably most i importantly for the players. it would grow a confidence l in our system and structure i think if we were to be successful on sunday. i i think it would be a landmark moment in the development. of the women's game. and even if we don't, i i have to say i think we've made massive strides i through the tournament and the players shouldl take the greatest credit for what they have done and the way they have conducted themselves. i so it'll be either germany or france alongside england, in sunday's final at wembley. the germans are the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won it on eight previous occasions. but they'll be without winger klara buhl for the game at milton keynes.

she's out after testing positive for covid—19. as for france, they've already made history by reaching the semi—final, and they've now got their eyes on winning a major tournament for the first time. i think it's absolutely a game of equals — i think it's absolutely a game of equals. little things will decided. each team will try to force the other— each team will try to force the other to — each team will try to force the other to make mistakes, to get into the game _ other to make mistakes, to get into the game. of course it will also depend — the game. of course it will also depend on _ the game. of course it will also depend on luck from time to time an individual— depend on luck from time to time an individual things that can happen again _ individual things that can happen again it's — individual things that can happen again. it's a semifinal at the european _ again. it's a semifinal at the european championships against an opponent— european championships against an opponent who is there for the first time and _ opponent who is there for the first time and have set their sights very high _ time and have set their sights very high its— time and have set their sights very high. it's also one of the favourites for me from the start. and switzerland's marlen rooser has won stage four of the inaugural tour de france femmes. with four sections of gravel during the 78 mile stage,

it was far from easy. yesterday's winner sessily ludwig suffered a puncture but she still managed to finish 19th and moved up to ninth overall. rooser broke away with 1a miles to gothough and went on to claim the stage victory by almost a minute and a half. marianne vos finished fifth, which was enough to retain her overall lead. much more on those stories on the bbc sport website but that's all the sport for now.

life isn't easy forjodie at the moment and she is not alone. i’m moment and she is not alone. i'm t ini m moment and she is not alone. in trying my hardest, that's moment and she is not alone. i�*n trying my hardest, that's all moment and she is not alone. in trying my hardest, that's all i can do it all anyone can do. . i will be blamed if i am not able to provide for my children. but it's not me that's in charge of how much i am able to provide for my children right now. able to provide for my children right now-— able to provide for my children riiht now. ,, i, i, ~ i able to provide for my children riiht now. , i, i, ~ i i, right now. she has got four kids and de-ends right now. she has got four kids and depends on — right now. she has got four kids and depends on how _ right now. she has got four kids and depends on how universal— right now. she has got four kids and depends on how universal credit i depends on how universal credit payments. i depends on how universal credit ia ments. i, i, i, i payments. i am meant to be entitled to 1750 a month — payments. i am meant to be entitled to 1750 a month but _ payments. i am meant to be entitled to 1750 a month but because - payments. i am meant to be entitled to 1750 a month but because there i payments. i am meant to be entitled to 1750 a month but because there isi to 1750 a month but because there is a benefits tax i am reduced to only 1350 a month and then another 100 comes off of that. iithiith 1350 a month and then another 100 comes off of that.— comes off of that. with rising rices comes off of that. with rising prices and — comes off of that. with rising prices and less _ comes off of that. with rising prices and less money - comes off of that. with rising | prices and less money coming comes off of that. with rising i prices and less money coming in comes off of that. with rising - prices and less money coming in she has had to make really hard

decisions. if something happens to me, my children are going to get nothing. i can't even do a decent food shop any more because...food just costs too much! half of all universal credit claimants have money taken out, before the payment hits their account, by an average of £62 less each month. the most common reason is to cover the five—week universal credit advance — given when people moved over onto the system. but it can also be taken to repay crisis loans, debts to third parties like councils and utility companies, and to take back overpayments made by government error. as the cost of living is set to increase, a cross—party group of mps want the government to put a pause on those deductions. given that benefits are already at a very low level, if you've got deductions taken out of those, as well, then you've got really serious hardship. and it's people who are having deductions taken out of their benefit at the moment who are having to choose between heating and eating

and having to skip meals to make sure that their children get a meal, those kind of things. and the deductions are making those problems very much worse. the committee also want to see the benefit cap raised for everyone, but the department for work and pensions said they had already restricted the total amount of deductions that could be taken to 25% of payment, and doubled the amount of time people have to pay money back to two years. asjodine braces herself for higher bills, that doesn't feel like enough, but she thinks that pausing deductions would help. it would at least give me a standing point to kind of put myself back on an even keel. colletta smith, bbc news. mcdonald's is increasing the price of its cheeseburgers in the uk for the first time in ia years. the company said it

increased prices this year.

rishi sunak emerges this morning with a new policy, a proposal to scrap vat on energy bills. but he's previously said such a move would disproportionately benefit wealthier households. and as we saw in his debate last night with liz truss, he's consistently argued against unfunded tax cuts. it's important what we leave our kids and our grandkids, and i think it is important to think about that inheritance. and i don't want to pass them a bill that we couldn't be bothered to pick up. 0k, and you made that... but with polls suggesting the former chancellor is the underdog, we now have a change in approach. allies of rishi sunak argue his new policy won't drive inflation. this particular measure, - along with many other measures which provided £1,200 to the hardest pressed households, already- is targeted to make sure that some of those energy bills which are, i you know, been going up very fast because of putin's action - in ukraine, that that is tackled. liz truss' energy is focused on law and order. she's promising to publish crime league tables and ensure police officers attend every burglary. i want them focused on tackling crime, tackling criminals, not form filling, not bureaucracy.

and i fear too much of our police time is spent on those types of activities. so new policies from both sides and more mudslinging. a source close to the liz truss' campaign described rishi sunak�*s vat announcement as a screeching u—turn, and his campaign said that her plans for police forces are lightweight. so it's a difficult question, though, isn't it? around half way through the debate last night, it had to be called off after the presenter fainted off camera. it was a concerning moment, but she's now ok. with more debates to come, some tory mps remain concerned about the tone of this contest. david wallace lockhart, bbc news, westminster. the broadcaster nicky campbell has alleged that he was sexually and physically abused at a private boys' school in edinburgh in the 1970s. speaking on a bbc podcast,

the 5 live presenter described being beaten up and touched inappropriately by teachers at edinburgh academy. the school has apologised to anyone who was abused there. our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie has this report. nicky campbell has been a radio and tv presenter since the 1980s, often discussing sensitive issues experienced by others. now nicky tells his own story. i know i'm amongst friends, i may have a wobble... for the first time he's publicly said he was a victim of abuse at a private school in edinburgh in the 1970s. at school i was very horribly, badly beaten up by a teacher who is a leading light in the scripture union. at the age of ten, nicky said he witnessed his friend being abused by a teacher in a changing room. he was known to us as a predator and a sadist, but we never told anyone, and my school friends...

excuse me, i'll be all right... ..my school friends and i talk about it now to each other about him

on nicky campbell's radio 5 live programme, many people called in inspired to tell their story, their experience of painful, historical abuse for the very first time. and his testimony echoes that of fellow pupils who have given evidence to the long—running scottish child abuse inquiry. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news. presidentjoe biden has tested negative today for coronavirus. let's hear what he had to say at the white house. let's hear what he had to say at the white house-— let's hear what he had to say at the white house. hello everyone. i have 'ust tested white house. hello everyone. i have just tested negative _ white house. hello everyone. i have just tested negative for _ white house. hello everyone. i have just tested negative for covert i white house. hello everyone. i have just tested negative for covert 19 i just tested negative for covert 19 after _ just tested negative for covert 19 after isolating for five days. thankfully i can now return to work

in person _ thankfully i can now return to work in person but i want to thank you all for— in person but i want to thank you all for your— in person but i want to thank you all for your well wishes and prayers over this _ all for your well wishes and prayers over this past week and i also want to thank— over this past week and i also want to thank the medical team at the white _ to thank the medical team at the white house for the incredible care they gave _ white house for the incredible care they gave me. fortunately, god willing, — they gave me. fortunately, god willing, my symptoms were mild and my recovery— willing, my symptoms were mild and my recovery was quick and i'm feeling — my recovery was quick and i'm feeling great. the entire time i was in isolation — feeling great. the entire time i was in isolation i was able to work, to carry— in isolation i was able to work, to carry out— in isolation i was able to work, to carry out the _ in isolation i was able to work, to carry out the duties of the office and without any interruption. it's a real statement of where we are in the fight — real statement of where we are in the fight against covert 19. right now we — the fight against covert 19. right now we are facing a new variant, the ba five _ now we are facing a new variant, the ba five variant, a very transmissible of only crumb variant we saw— transmissible of only crumb variant we saw this— transmissible of only crumb variant we saw this past winter. this new variant— we saw this past winter. this new variant that — we saw this past winter. this new variant that infected me is getting a lot of— variant that infected me is getting a lot of people in all around the world _ a lot of people in all around the world not— a lot of people in all around the world notjust here in the united states — world notjust here in the united states. we should take precautions to slow _

states. we should take precautions to slow the spread of the virus. my administration made billions in funding — administration made billions in funding available to improve ventilation in schools and other public— ventilation in schools and other public buildings, we have made tests widely— public buildings, we have made tests widely available so you can take one before _ widely available so you can take one before attending a large indoor gathering or visiting high—risk individuals. we've made high—quality masks _ individuals. we've made high—quality masks available for free so you should — masks available for free so you should consider wearing a mask when you are _ should consider wearing a mask when you are in _ should consider wearing a mask when you are in a _ should consider wearing a mask when you are in a crowded indoor public place _ you are in a crowded indoor public place. these precautions add an extra _ place. these precautions add an extra layer— place. these precautions add an extra layer of protection for you and for— extra layer of protection for you and for those of you around you but the reality— and for those of you around you but the reality is— and for those of you around you but the reality is that ba five means many _ the reality is that ba five means many of — the reality is that ba five means many of us are still going to get covid _ many of us are still going to get covid even _ many of us are still going to get covid even if we take the precautions, that doesn't mean we are doing _ precautions, that doesn't mean we are doing anything wrong. unfortunately this covid is still with us— unfortunately this covid is still with us as it has been for two and half years— with us as it has been for two and half years but our fight against covid — half years but our fight against covid is — half years but our fight against covid is making a huge difference. what's _ covid is making a huge difference. what's different now is our ability to protect — what's different now is our ability to protect ourselves from serious illness _ to protect ourselves from serious

illness due — to protect ourselves from serious illness due to covid. in fact, that is radically— illness due to covid. in fact, that is radically different today. covid isn't gone — is radically different today. covid isn't gone but even with cases climbing — isn't gone but even with cases climbing in this country deaths are down _ climbing in this country deaths are down nearly 90% and when i took office. _ down nearly 90% and when i took office, that is what's new. different from where we were just a year ago _ different from where we were just a yearago. even if different from where we were just a year ago. even if covid or even if you get— year ago. even if covid or even if you get covid you can avoid ending up you get covid you can avoid ending up with— you get covid you can avoid ending up with a _ you get covid you can avoid ending up with a severe case. you can now prevent _ up with a severe case. you can now prevent mouth —— most covid deaths because _ prevent mouth —— most covid deaths because free — prevent mouth —— most covid deaths because free tools my administration has invested in and distributed this past year— has invested in and distributed this past year like booster shots, at-home _ past year like booster shots, at—home tests, easy to use effective treatments, — at—home tests, easy to use effective treatments, we have got through covid _ treatments, we have got through covid with— treatments, we have got through covid with no fear. i got through it with no— covid with no fear. i got through it with no fear~ — covid with no fear. i got through it with no fear. very mild discomfort because _ with no fear. very mild discomfort because of— with no fear. very mild discomfort because of these life—saving tools. and guess —

because of these life—saving tools. and guess what, i want to remind everybody. — and guess what, i want to remind everybody, they are free. they are convenient — everybody, they are free. they are convenient and safe and they work. booster— convenient and safe and they work. booster shots were not available a year ago _ booster shots were not available a year ago but they are now everywhere. every person aged five and over— everywhere. every person aged five and over should get a booster shot. if you're _ and over should get a booster shot. if you're over 50 years old you should — if you're over 50 years old you should get to booster shots. i did and if— should get to booster shots. i did and if you — should get to booster shots. i did and if you have your boosters if you are under— and if you have your boosters if you are under 50 — and if you have your boosters if you are under 50 and two if you're over 50 your— are under 50 and two if you're over 50 your odds — are under 50 and two if you're over 50 your odds of getting severely ill from covid are very low.— from covid are very low. president joe biden they're _ from covid are very low. president joe biden they're speaking - from covid are very low. president joe biden they're speaking in i from covid are very low. president joe biden they're speaking in the i joe biden they're speaking in the rose garden announcing his return to active duty although he has been self isolating and he has been working inside the white house. he will now meet colleagues and carry out his other duties involving interaction with people but for the next ten days the white house says he will wear a facemask indoors. some of the breaking news in the uk.

another day of industrial action announced by aslef which is the train drivers union. the rmt tends to represent staff other than train drivers. train drivers are represented by aslef and they have announced they will be industrial action on saturday the 13th of august. the next strike day is the 13th ofjuly —— 30th ofjuly. saturday the 13th of august they will be taking industrial action at nine train companies. ava nte west coast where they avante west coast where they got a 92% yes vote for industrial action. 477 92% yes vote for industrial action. a77 members voted yes. 38 members voted no. the cross—country rail services, a97 members voted yes, 36

members voted no. ballots are also due to take place on chiltern railways, northern trains, trans— pennine express and east midlands release. so clearly we can expect this current phase of strike action on the railways to continue over the next few months. most adults in wales will now be invited for dental check—ups once a year instead of every six months as a result of a shake—up announced by the welsh government. wales' new chief dental officer, andrew dickenson, says the change will make it easier for people to see an nhs dentist, freeing up around 112,000 nhs places a year. but the british dental association in wales says the change is based on "empty soundbites and misleading numbers" and what's really needed are more dentists. 0ur health correspondent 0wain clarke has the story.

dental health of children and adults generally speaking is much better now than in the 1950s, with rates of tooth decay and gum disease much lower. but that is not to say there aren't huge challenges now. too many people cannot find an nhs dentist in the first place. this surgery in swansea is similar to dozens across wales. it was established in the '50s, but these days it is inundated with calls from people trying to sign up. we've had people call from as far as newport saying they have called 65 different practices that day and theyjust can't find a dentist. and i have had people call, ten, 20 different people call a day. looking for a dentist. i wish i could take them all in, but we literally don't have the space in our practice. the welsh government now says most of us should be invited

for a dental checkup every year, rather than every six months. it is estimated the change could release 112,000 extra nhs dental places. but there will still be six monthly checkups for under 18 is. but some argue the figures won't add up if the people taking up the new places need a lot of care because they have not seen a dentist for so long. it has not been tested, it's been brought together in a rush, it's been called a mashed up and the product without really knowing how the figures are going to work. is this an admission that the system is to stretch to carry on as it is, and some might give you is this rationing by another name. that's a professional opinion and based on a careful analysis and we should be pleased to hear that message being to give in to a patient.

and therefore, it will release more capacity to see patients who need us. the shortage of nhs dental places is not a new phenomenon. but the key question is, will sing a dentist less frequently ease the strain, or does it simply show there aren't enough dentists in the first place? vast amounts of planet—heating carbon dioxide are created during the manufacture of the items we use in our everyday lives. in fact, the making of these materials creates more greenhouse emissions than all the world's planes, lorries, cars, train and ships put together. the paper industry alone contributes nearly one billion tonnes of carbon emissions globally every year. 0ur energy and environment analyst roger harrabin reports. countless millions of trees are felled worldwide to satisfy our demand

for paper and cardboard. the process uses lots of heat, much of it created by polluting coal or gas. this firm in sweden is heading for zero carbon emissions, but pulp and paper worldwide is the fourth biggest carbon emitting industry. amazingly, demand for paper is still going up. after 50 years of talking about the paperless office, we haven't got there. so we could change that by changing the amount of paper and packaging that we're all using. i'm now going to introduce you to an invention that is so bold, so brilliant, and so extraordinary that you will think it is a trick. it isn't a trick. this is real. it's to do with solving the problem of what we can do with all the waste paper in the world, all the paper we print up and then just throw away. well in here, there's a machine that's going to wipe

the words off the page. this is barack, who's behind the project? barack, we've got some printed paper here. can you wipe those words off the page, please? absolutely, roger. it's done with a powerful laser and a special paper coating that stops ink soaking into the page. each sheet can be reused up to ten times. and look at the transformation. that is absolutely amazing. barack, what have you done with the words? well, we've basically evaporated the ink. and what's left is just pigments of the ink which we collect. and those can be recycled back into new printer inks. so you've vaporized the script? completely. so how is this going to become an everyday part of office life? we're converting existing printers with our solution, so we have a printer, and then you have a de—printer that could sit next to every printer and work with every printer in the world. that invention may work with paper, but what about the cardboard that floods through our doors

as retail shifts online? do we really need it? this is one household's box mountain afterjust a couple of months. we're simply consuming too much stuff. it's a terrible habit, we've got to kick it. roger harrabin, bbc news. he's a passionate man, roger. have a happy retirement and thanks for all you've done over the last two years. it's time now for a look at the weather. the weather is quite quiet in the middle part of the week and it's all about high pressure at the moment but it's a rather cloudy high so after early morning sunshine the cloud to derive as we went through the day and in actual fact there are a few isolated showers around as well. the high is starting to push

its way steadily eastwards and what that will do is allow the wind direction to change to a light but south—easterly so it's a warmer flow through the course of thursday and also into friday. here are the shell was moving gradually northwards overnight tonight out of wales into northern england and across the isle of man. maybe one or two to the far north of northern ireland as well. with the cloud around, we keep those temperatures up into double figures so it will be a milder start to thursday morning. a bit of a grey one with showers drifting their way to southern scotland as well. they will weaken as we go into the afternoon and on the whole despite the cloud there will be some glimpses of sunshine and temperatures a degree or so upon today. we should see highs of 2a degrees. that bodes well for the commonwealth games opening ceremony taking place in birmingham. cloudy skies but a good deal of dry weather and not too cold. there

pushing up into scandinavia. friday will be a quiet day over the weekend i can offer you some welcome rain across scotland and northern ireland and northern england and may be north wales as well. however, it's never going to get down to the south—east so here it will stay dry, sunny and warm and the rain sits across the far north—west slowly easing away for the second half of the weekend. all in all, let's summarise that for you as we head into the weekend. there is going to be some rain in the far north and west gradually sinking south could never quite makes the south—east.

this is bbc news. i'mjane i'm jane hill. the headlines... another rail strike across the uk — around one in five services are running, with passengers urged to travel only if necessary. and in the last hour, the union aslef has announced a one—day strike on saturday 13 august. after last night's stunning a—0 victory against sweden, england will find out who they'll be facing in sunday's final later this evening. a key russian—held bridge into the occupied southern city of kherson is hit with rocket fire by ukrainian forces. following a change in law, tv cameras can now film the sentencing remarks in the crown court for the first time from thursday.