good afternoon. more than 50,000 rail workers are walking out today causing

the biggest strike disruption on the railways this year. 0nly around 11% of the usual saturday timetable will be able to run. members of four unions are taking part in the strike in a long—running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. 0ur transport correspondent, katy austin reports. another train strike and it's the biggest yet. karen from staffordshire is running the london marathon tomorrow to fund raise for the hospital where she had breast cancer treatment. news of the strike meant she had to make other plans to get there. so for me, this just blew everything apart. i couldn't even begin to think of how we would get there. so ijust worried, until we knew what our plan was, ijust panicked, just worried about it. the red lines on this map are the only parts of the rail network which do have services today. where trains are running, they started a lot later than usual and they'll finish a lot earlier than normal as well.

there are no trains running between london and some other major cities including edinburgh, newcastle and brighton. why is this all happening? well, the train drivers union aslef is demanding a pay rise amid high inflation. the rmt wants that for its rail worker members too and it argues job security and working conditions are under threat. both unions insist they didn't target the london marathon. whenever we put strikes on it's going to inconvenience people. we don't want to do that. we'd much rather have a settlement. we'd much rather get out of this dispute so our members can provide a service. we have to keep the dispute going. we've been going nearly six months now and we have to keep the momentum going. it's got full support from the public, we believe. there's many people, even the people that are inconvenienced, that are supporting us each day we're on the picket lines. the industry argues the pandemic has left a financial hole and change the way people travel. we want to give our staff a pay increase but it has to be self

funding from within the industry. we can't afford to keep taking more taxpayers money. so meaningful reform means we can generate money that we can then say to government we believe this is a sensible deal that we can give our staff a pay increase. rail bosses and unions say they'll keep talking but more strikes could be coming down the line. everyone is been involved in negotiations says that some progress has been made but speaking to the leaders of the rmt and aslef unions, neither feel a leaders of the rmt and aslef unions, neitherfeel a deal is imminent. all along, unions have called for the government to intervene and ministers have always said that no, this is for the main employers and unions to thrash out between them. we do now have a new transport secretary in place anne—marie trevelyan and unlike her predecessor grant shapps she's met with union bosses already which was positively received but clearly, no breakthrough was happened to prevent these strikes taking place and i

understand the rmt intends to hold a fresh ballot for strike action very soon. katie, thank you. also walking out today, royal mail workers have begun their second day of a 48—hour strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. the communication workers union says the walk—out by around 115,000 of its members is the biggest strike of the year. a royal mail spokesman described the action as "reckless" because it would weaken the company's finances and jeopardise workers�* job security. the prime minister liz truss has admitted there has been "disruption" in the uk economy following the mini budget last week. the government unveiled £16 billion of tax cuts funded by borrowing last week, but did not accompany it with the usual economic assessment of the plans, which worried investors. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake reports. meeting her danish counterpart

outside number ten this morning, liz truss attempted to introduce lowry the downing street cut. —— cat. he didn't hang around but questions continue about how she will pay for her economic plans. in kent yesterday, the prime minister wanted a focus on the energy price cap for households now in place. that's usually expensive move came before the not so mini budget prompting political criticism and financial turmoil as the prime minister acknowledged but played down. i recognise there has been disruption. it was really, really important we were able to get help to families as soon as possible. that help is coming this weekend. because this is going to be a difficult winter and i'm determined to do all i can to help families and help the economy at this time. the help families and help the economy at this time-— at this time. the chancellor is also t in: to at this time. the chancellor is also trying to reassure, _ at this time. the chancellor is also trying to reassure, writing - at this time. the chancellor is also trying to reassure, writing in - at this time. the chancellor is also trying to reassure, writing in the l trying to reassure, writing in the daily telegraph, kwasi kwarteng said the government had a plan to reduce

debt, set new tax and spending rules, and publish full forecasts on the impact all that on the economy. another senior minister, the levelling up secretary simon parke has signalled spending cuts could be coming same is always room to trim the fat. 0pposition parties worry what that could mean. we the fat. opposition parties worry what that could mean.— the fat. opposition parties worry what that could mean. we are always su ”ortin what that could mean. we are always supporting value _ what that could mean. we are always supporting value for— what that could mean. we are always supporting value for money _ what that could mean. we are always supporting value for money of- what that could mean. we are always supporting value for money of the - supporting value for money of the turbulence in the markets has been caused by the governments own error ofjudgment. in announcing a set of unfunded tax cuts that benefited primarily those earning over £150,000 a year and it would be appalling now if, as a consequence of all that, they turned on pensioners, the disabled and those waiting on nhs waiting lists to pay the price for their own mistakes. this the price for their own mistakes. as the price for their own mistakes. as the conservatives gather for the annual conference in birmingham this weekend, conditions are difficult for the prime minister, still new in thejob, and fighting to keep her party on side. jonathan blake, bbc news. and the prime minister will be interviewed live

on bbc one tomorrow on sunday morning with laura kuenssberg — you can see that at the slightly earlier—than—usual time of 8:30. the cost of gas and electricity for uk households has increased from today but, as we've been hearing, the rise has been cushioned by government help. although critics point out even after the intervention, prices are twice as high as last winter. our business correspondent simon browning joins me now. what should people be thinking about to try use less energy? it's a really crucial point because the energy price cap is the unit used to fix individual units for the cost of energy. the figure we've heard lots about this week is £2500, that's the average bill per household across the country. now that fixes the energy price per unit. the more units use the more you unit. the more units use the more y°u pay unit. the more units use the more you pay and it's more also for those using prepayment metres. now prices

have in effect are doubled in the last year since last winter, mainly because of the war in ukraine, and a real tightening of the energy market. there is of tips on how to save energy available to date on the bbc website will they include using a slow cooker, or and microwave instead of your hob and gas and air drying your clothes. lots of people we have been speaking this week have implemented those things already and teaching their kids about energy efficiency. what is the help available to households? the government has announced a huge support measure this week. liz truss, one of the first thing she did, as she took over as prime minister, every household in the country will receive £400 off its bill deducted automatically by your energy provider. and there is additional support for pensioners, people on low income households, and also those receiving disability payments. there is a big warning from consumer groups because already there are scams going around and i receive on this morning on my mobile

phone about applying for discounts. these discounts are applied automatically by your energy provider and should be implement by october so the warning is ignore 0ctober so the warning is ignore these text messages. october so the warning is ignore these text messages.— october so the warning is ignore these text messages. simon, thank ou. the ukrainian military says it has encircled russian forces in the strategic eastern town of lyman, in the donetsk region. video posted by president zelensky�*s chief of staff shows soldiers waving a ukrainian flag near a welcome sign on the town's outskirts, but it's impossible to independently verify the claims. hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses are without electricity in south carolina in america, after hurricane ian hit the coast yesterday. it's the latest us state to suffer the storm. a huge clean—up operation is under way in florida where at least 20 people have died and many counties are without drinking water. with all the sport now, here's gavin ramjaun at the bbc sport centre. thank you very much indeed.

it's a big derby weekend in the premier league after the international break, and the north london rivalry has been renewed at the emirates stadium — with top—of—the—table arsenal hosting third—placed tottenham. it's approaching half—time and its currently 1—1. thomas party opened the scoring with a stunning strike inside 20 minutes for arsenal but harry kane has equalised with his 100th of a goal in the premier league, looking to make it seven wins from eight in this one. and as for the rest of the premier league, it finally sees a first league game in charge of chelsea for graham potter. his new side make the short journey to crystal palace. potter was announced as chelsea boss more than three weeks ago, but then saw two premier league games postponed. he takes over from thomas tuchel with his new side seventh in the table. we are itching to go, itching to play because that's when you really find out about everything. you learn a lot and you may progress and make progression, sorry, so we can fully control anything in terms of how things are panned out, in terms of

the cancellations, international break is what it is. it's third versus second in the scottish premiership. rangers could go to the top of the table — at least for a couple of hours — if they win at hearts. that's also approaching half—time in that game and it is 2—0 to rangers at the moment with both goals coming from antonio tonic. hearts could go second with a win. charles leclerc was fastest in final practice for this weekend's singapore grand prix. the ferrari driver was half a second quicker than championship leader max verstappen, who could retain the title this weekend with victory and others results going his way. qualifying begins at 2.00. britain's charley hull is leading the the ascendant tournament on the lpga tour in texas. she scored a stunning seven under—par at the 0ld american course. her second round included eight birdies — and is two shots clear of the rest — before she resumes in a few hours' time.

and the lowest—ranked side remaining in the fa cup play in the third qualifying round today. congleton town from the north west counties league have already played six matches over four rounds to make it this far. the ninth—tier side are taking on national league north's afc fylde, and its live on the iplayer and the bbc sport website. currently goalless in that one there. still1—0 currently goalless in that one there. still 1—0 in the north london derby. that's all the sport for now. gavin, thank you. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 5.25. bye for now. hello. you're watching the bbc news channel. the time is 12 minutes past one.

ukraine's state nuclear agency says the man in charge of its nuclear power plant in zaporizhzhia has been abducted by russian soldiers. energoatom has appealed to the international atomic energy agency to intervene and demand his immediate release. zaporizhzhia is europe's biggest nuclear plant, and repeated shelling of the site has raised the risk of a nuclear disaster. petro kotin, the head of energoatom, told me what he knew about the abduction. yesterday around 4pm, the director—general of zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, ihor murashov, was detained by the russian patrol on his way from the plant to the town, his home town, on his way home. his car was stopped, he was taken out of the car. and with his eyes blindfolded, he was driven in an unknown direction. at the moment, we do not have information where he is now. it is not known where he is? yes, exactly.

he is supposedly detained in the facilities there in enerhodar, but we do not know for sure. state nuclear regulator, the ukrainian one, saying that the russians have detained him, they are behind this. what would the benefit for them be? what do you think their plan would be if this is the case? it was happening just after this announcement of annexation of ukrainian territory by russian president. at the same time, they sent some people from rosatom who are responsible for personnel to try to transfer the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant under the control of rosatom, which is russian nuclear operator. they are trying to make our personnel sign appeals for their work at rosatom.

it was many times before, these attempts. mr murashov, as the general director, always refused to do that. we expect they are trying to make him accept this move from russia to capture the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. and what particular risk might there be? of course, this is going to be quite an unsettling development. there is a very high risk to mr murashov, physically, because he can be treated with torture. everything they did with other staff, which was previously captured. and actually for the operation of the nuclear power plant, for the safety, he is the main person responsible for the safety. he is site president of the company and he is responsible for everything

that is going on on—site. without him on—site, the safety of the zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will be jeopardised. in terms of a wider nuclear security, what impact might this have? the plant is operated by the ukrainian staff. it is about 7,000 people on—site. all of them are led by mr murashov. he is also responsible for the safety, so he has sole responsibility and he is the main person who is responsible for radiation of the power plant. the headlines on bbc news: the ukrainian military now says it has encircled russian forces in the strategic eastern town of lyman, in the donetsk

region, which was annexed by russia yesterday. large parts of britain's train network grind to a complete halt as 50,000 workers stage a walkout in the biggest rail strike so far over pay and conditions. millions of people in the uk begin paying more for gas and electricity as the new energy price cap comes into force. let's stay with that energy storage. —— energy story. the cost of gas and electricity for uk households has increased today, but the rise has been restricted by the government's energy price guarantee. the average annual bill has risen from just under £2,000 to £2,500. even after the government's intervention, prices are twice as high as last winter, and charities say many people will struggle to pay the bills. the energy expert and editor of forbes advisors, kevin pratt, told us more about the price cap and what support

is available for households. the figure of £2500 has been thrown around quite a lot this week, but that is the amount you will pay if you consume the average amount of energy over the course of a year. of course, a lot of people don't. the cap is on the price charged per unit of electricity, per unit of gas, and the standing charge, as well. and that means if you use more, you pay more. if you use less, you pay less. but the average is around the £2,500 per year point. just remind us, how long is this cap in place for and what other sources of government help are there? the cap is in place for two years from today. in the first year, 2022—23, there will be a £400 discount applied to everybody�*s electricity bills. that will come off their electricity bills over the next six months. £66 for a couple of months, then £67 will come off each month.

it is really important to stress that will happen automatically. you do not have to apply for it. i am making that point because it has lots of scams going around going around at the moment where people try to get people to give their details, financial details, personal details in order to get that discount. do not acknowledge those scams, do not respond to them in any way. your energy supplier will take care of that automatically, pass that £400 discount on to you. it is being applied to electricity accounts because not everybody is on the gas grid, so that is why it is coming off electricity bills. for those who aren't on the gas grid, who use an alternative fuel for heating, they will be given £100 by the government. the mechanism for getting that to them has not been worked out yet, but £100 per household provision for people on alternative sources of heating power. i am glad you mentioned the scam because i got one of those texts.

i'm sure lots of people did. saying, "click here to get your £400." as you say, it is important to emphasise that happens automatically. ignore those texts. in terms of other ways that people can help meet their bills or help reduce those bills, what is the best advice out there? anywhere you can save energy will make a difference. energy is now so expensive. it makes a difference if you can find ways to reduce energy consumption in your home. that goes from small daily behaviours such as making sure nothing is left on standby, only boiling the water that you need if you're going to make a drink in the kettle, do not fill the kettle, just get the amount in that you require. put lids on saucepans, make sure there is nothing blocking radiators so that you do not have to have the heating as high or you might be able to turn it off on a pleasant day. just take small steps to keep drafts

out of the house if you can. just take small steps to keep draughts out of the house if you can. your letterbox, your windows, keyholes. .. thinking bigger than that, think about insulation, loft insulation if you have a loft, can you improve the glazing the glazing on your windows? it costs a lot of money, i know, but you can get kits on the internet which allow you to put plastic over your windows. that can make a big difference to the cold coming in and the heat retention of your property. anything you can do. and in the long run, it can make a difference to your bill. energy expert kevin pratt there. 0ur wales correspondent, hywel griffith, has been to newtown in powys, to find out how the cost of living is affecting young people there. if things keep increasing and the costs, and pay isn't rising itself, how are people going to be able to survive further on? it is going to be choosing between eating and heating at this stage. at 17, sam just wants to study and socialise. but rising costs keep

putting limits on life. he has had to change college. the bus to his old one cost too much. it's more a present stress. it's in the back of your mind, you think about it. how long am i the shower? do i really need to wash this or can i wear it another day? the idea that your family is struggling in this time is quite stressful and so on. when you're going away to study when you think you could help with a job. newtown college have started offering every student free breakfast, fearing that some were going without food. owen and jacob are studying catering here. how are they finding the cost—of—living? it is quite significant and you have to cut back a lot. what types of things are you cutting back on? like not eating as much luxury items. only having it every so often. i am shortening the amount of time

i learn to drive because i haven't got the money to pay for the fuel. i shorten where i drive to and down less routes because of the amount of petrol that is being used. in a rural place like south wales, families often live miles apart so just meeting up comes at a cost. with fuel prices so high and every budget squeezed, there is a real risk children are missing out and becoming even more isolated. the children's commissioner for wales warns we are in a poverty pandemic. she has already seen the impact on young people. you can see etched in their face. they are just not sure theirfamily can cope. their parents are stressed. they are stressed. there is implication on the whole family dynamic. theyjust don't know how they will get through these next few weeks let alone months. in wales, the commissioner wants free public transport for everyone under 18.

the welsh government says there are discounts for free travel which are under review. commissioners for scotland and northern ireland havejoined the call to increase universal credit. the uk government has said it has provided additional support on energy bills for people in low—income households. for kesia, that support might not be enough. the cost of keeping little dafydd warm and fed has spiralled since he was born three months ago. it's quite a sinking feeling, really. every month you're thinking about ways you can cut back. we do everything as cheap as we can. the recommendation for getting kids into routine is a bath before bed. we can't afford to do a bath every night, that'sjust ridiculous. as every family feels the pressure of rising prices, it is hard to shield even the youngest from this crisis. hywel griffith, bbc news, newtown.

a large part of the former redcar steelworks has been demolished today. the basic 0xygen plant, also known as the bos plant, was brought down in the uk's biggest controlled explosion for 75 years. more than one and a half tonnes of explosives were used at the teesside site. our business correspondent ian reeve reports. alarm blares. redcar�*s so—called bos plant had stood since the 1970s when molten iron was refined and turned into steel. but with the redevelopment of the former steelworks, it had to come down. explosion. 105,000 tonnes of steel brought down by more than 1.5 tonnes of explosives. applause. and looking on, stewart and ken, father and son, both former steel workers, both former bos plant managers. it's gave a brilliant living to so many people

in the area and beyond. and, you know, there is something sad about, i guess, losing out on that front. —— losing it on that front. i mean, that is sad, but i am also well aware that we need to move on. steel— making is finished. we need to now develop this area. so, all the things that is happening with teesworks, taking this down and moving on is the best possible legacy. but will the hoped—for newjobs come to the site? this last week has seen markets, companies and investors all spooked. well, i think we are uniquely placed that we have got the largest brownfield site in western europe, we have the uk's largest freeport with all the incentives that brings, we have got the site and support of government, as well, and actually that inoculates us from some of the international headwinds that we are seeing. so, the likes of net zero teesside, bp, who are all committed to the site, are not slowing down, they are still committing money as quickly as they can.

it is seven years since the steelworks closed. today's blow down a dramatic reminder that those days have gone for good. ian reeve, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello. a lot more sunshine around today compared with yesterday, but always keep your eye out for some dark clouds approaching. there is going to be a few showers scattered around, have been already across northern and western areas. the bulk of the showers, though, across parts of central western scotland and northern ireland. lighter, fewer showers across england and wales. there will be some across southern and eastern areas of all countries. we could see something much, much drier with very little rain around. in the sunshine for the 1st of october feeling quite pleasant. in the breeze, though, quite a stiff westerly breeze, and when those showers come through it will feel that bit cooler. showers this evening across the northern half of the country, fading a little bit through the night. to the south, we see cloud increase, outbreaks of rain through the english channel, could get as far north as south

wales for the morning. keeping temperatures up here, a fresher night elsewhere, and a few mist and fog patches to take us into sunday. most, though, will have a dry and bright day on sunday, just one or two showers. southern counties of wales, southern counties of england, the chance of some cloud, outbreaks of rain. how quickly that clears, big question, and that will be crucial for the london marathon. how much rain you will see, well, should be there in the morning.

hello, this is bbc news — i'm luxmy gopal, and these are the headlines: the ukrainian military now says it has encircled russian forces in the strategic eastern town of lyman, in the donetsk region, which was annexed by russia yesterday. large parts of britain's train network grind to a complete halt — as 50,000 workers stage a walk—out in the biggest rail strike so far over pay and conditions. millions of people in the uk begin paying more for gas and electricity — as the new energy price cap comes into force.

making landfall in the us for a second time — hurricane ian strikes south carolina with heavy rain and powerful winds after leaving a trail of devastation in florida and cuba. hello. thank you forjoining me for unspun world, where the bbc�*s experts give us their in—depth thoughts about what's really going on in world affairs. vladimir putin holds his referendums — that's what he calls them — aboutjoining russia in four areas of ukraine. but how great is the danger that this will bring us

closer to nuclear war?