this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. members of the uk rail workers�* union the rmt have begun fresh industrial action today, bringing a near total shutdown of the country's railway network. do get in touch with me today about the strikes or any of the other stories we're covering today. you can do that on twitter @ annita bbc and use the hashtag bbc your questions. the european parliament will vote later this morning on whether to remove its vice president eva kaili amid a corruption scandal and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials. official employment figures suggest 417,000 working days were lost to strikes in the uk in october — the highest

in more than a decade. a vigil is for the three boys who died after falling into a frozen lake near birmingham in the uk. a fourth boy, who's six, remains in a critical condition in hospital. k—pop starjin, the oldest member of the group bts, begins his mandatory south korean military duty — the first member of the band to do so. and the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange ftx, sam bankman—fried, is arrested in the bahamas for �*financial offences�*. hello and welcome if you�*re watching in the uk or around the world. here in the uk, a fresh wave of strike action that�*s expected

to cause major disruption to key services in the run—up to christmas has begun this morning. around 40,000 rail workers — who are members of the rmt union — are taking part in the first of two 48 hour stoppages as part of a long—running dispute aboutjobs, pay and conditions. only about 20% of the country�*s normal rail service is expected to run — that means four out of every five trains will be cancelled. many parts of britain, including most of scotland and wales, will have no trains at all. and there are unlikely to be any trains running anywhere this evening. network rail has warned that trains that are running are likely to be very busy and its urging passengers to travel only if absolutely necessary. 0ur transport correspondent, katy austin has the details. at york�*s christmas market, festive cheer is in good supply. but for people hoping to get here by train, more travel misery is in store. local hotels worry strikes have put some visitors off.

they�*ve had individual bookings cancelled, conferences, meetings cancelled. this happening just in the week before christmas, this obviously is going to hurt because everybody is trying to bolster their bank balance in order to deal with the first quarter of next year. 0n strike days this week — that�*s today, tomorrow, friday and saturday — only about 20% of britain�*s usual train services will run. and trains will start later and finish much earlier than they normally do. there will also be some knock—on disruption on thursday and sunday mornings. rail workers in the rmt have already walked out on eight days this year in a dispute the union says is over pay, protecting jobs and working conditions. passengers now face four weeks of disruption. there are two 48—hour train strikes this week, an overtime ban at 1a rail companies from sunday is expected to cause some cancellations,

and a strike at network rail will see services finish even earlier than usual on christmas eve and start late on the 27th. and more national walk—outs are planned injanuary. the rail industry says changes to working practices are needed to fund higher pay. rmt members have now voted to reject what network rail called its best and final offer. the union called it substandard. and rmt leaders have already turned down an offer from the train operating companies group and blamed the government for insisting on conditions it said were not acceptable. the rail minister said the government had played its part in trying to resolve the dispute. we want an end to these strikes. they will damage the railway, they will damage workers�* security. and we are offering security — there will be no compulsory redundancies for the workforce, there will be a generous pay rise for them. the modernisation approach has been accepted by some unions. 0ur message to the rmt is, come on board.

a new year is coming swiftly into view but an end to disruption is not. katy austin, bbc news, in york. 0ur news correspondent, theo leggett is in woking now. theo leggett is in woking now. theo leggett is in woking now. boss theo leggett is in woking now. boss of theo leggett is in woking now. boss of the theo leggett is in woking now. boss of the rmt theo leggett is in woking now. boss of the rmt m talking the boss of the rmt mick lynch was talking earlier about the art of negotiation. those negotiations clearly very, very difficult. long running now, what is it going to take to break the logjam? it is running now, what is it going to take to break the logjam? take to break the lou'am? it is very hard to take to break the lo “am? it is very hard to h take to break the lo “am? it is very hard to see what h take to break the logjam? it is very hard to see what will _ take to break the logjam? it is very hard to see what will break - take to break the logjam? it is very hard to see what will break the - hard to see what will break the logjam at the moment, i need to. we have had eight days of strikes already and now we have this strike, another one later this week, two more in earlyjanuary and a network rail strike over the christmas period which will delay engineering works. part of this is about pay and there are offers on the table from there are offers on the table from the rail delivery group which represents the train operating companies and from network rail. but the unions have not accepted those

offers. they say it is notjust about pay, it is about terms and conditions, working practices. when it comes to the rail companies, they want to introduce driver only trains, at least that is what the union says. the union says that is a deal breaker. likewise with network rail, there are changes to working condition is being proposed that the union say they simply cannot accept. at the moment that doesn�*t seem to be any movement. the unions are saying that network rail delivery group seem to be shackled a little bit by the government, they are not able to negotiate in the way that would normally happen. there seems to be intransigence at the moment, there seems to be a logjam and nobody is willing to compromise. it looks like disruption to the railways will continue until the very least the 9th of january and possibly beyond that as well. it seems like this is coming down to a battle of wales, who is prepared to

stick with the cause? whether it is the government of the unions? —— battle of wills. the government of the unions? -- battle of wills.— battle of wills. absolutely, the government — battle of wills. absolutely, the government and _ battle of wills. absolutely, the government and the _ battle of wills. absolutely, the government and the train - battle of wills. absolutely, the - government and the train operating companies and network rail insists that modernisation of the railways is what they are after, they say it is what they are after, they say it is necessary. the railways are losing money, particularly after the covid pandemic so changes to working practices will be required particularly if more money is going to be provided for people who work on the railways. the unions are saying yes, they need more money, this is a time of high inflation and the cost of living is going up and it is notjust railway workers affected by that and that is why we are seeing strikes across the economy, but they also say they are not willing to sacrifice certain things and they are deal breakers out there. some of which include safety critical services. as you say it is a stand—off, somebody has to back down and there is no sign of anybody backing down at the moment.

thank you very much. it�*s notjust britain�*s trains that will be affected by strikes this week — the first nationwide strike by nurses in england, wales and northern ireland looks set to go ahead on thursday. the uk government said it would continue to engage in negotiations but the royal college of nursing is expected to press ahead with the walk—out. pat cullen, the rcn general secretary spoke to us earlier... i asked them several times in the meeting to please discuss pay with me. in fact, i lost count of the number of times i asked it. each time we returned to the same thing, there was no extra money on the table and he would not be discussing pay with me. i am extremely disappointed at the belligerence that was shown. they closed their books and walked away from the nursing profession this afternoon. official figures show the uk lost 417,000 working days to strikes in october — making it the month most affected by industrial action in the country in more than a decade. today�*s data from the office for national statistics also reveals the uk�*s unemployment rate has risen to 3.7% in the three months leading to october.

i�*m joined now by ben clift who is the professor of political economy at the university of warwick. professor, thank you very much for joining us. let�*s begin with those working days lost. how does that factor income of 417,000 of them in october, how does that factor into 0ctober, how does that factor into what we are seeing happening in the economy at the moment? i what we are seeing happening in the economy at the moment?— economy at the moment? i think we need to place _ economy at the moment? i think we need to place the _ economy at the moment? i think we need to place the strike _ economy at the moment? i think we need to place the strike action - economy at the moment? i think we need to place the strike action in - need to place the strike action in the broader context of historic evolution over a long time. this is the highest level of industrial action since 2011, since the first phase of george 0sborne�*s posterity, if you like. but overall, levels of strike action are much lower than they used to be in the uk economy and levels of unionisation is much lower. the union power to take

strike action is greatly restricted since the 1970s and 1980s. it limits the amount of impact strike action has on overall economic activity. the bigger impact on unemployment figures is the overall level of growth in the economy rather than specific things happening around strike action. 0verall growth rates in the economy, these are substantially lower than the government or others might be comfortable with. there is a problem with slow growth, which seems to be systemically embedded in our economy. systemically embedded in our econom . ~ , , systemically embedded in our economy-— systemically embedded in our econom . ~ , , ., ., economy. why is growth not where it ou . ht to economy. why is growth not where it ought to be — economy. why is growth not where it ought to be over _ economy. why is growth not where it ought to be over where _ economy. why is growth not where it ought to be over where we _ economy. why is growth not where it ought to be over where we would - economy. why is growth not where it | ought to be over where we would like it to be, given that although according to the latest rates, unemployment has risen slightly, it is still close to an historic low. a lot of people are economically active but we�*re having this issue with growth? it active but we're having this issue with growth?— active but we're having this issue with growth? it is often a problem referred to — with growth? it is often a problem referred to as _ with growth? it is often a problem referred to as the _ with growth? it is often a problem referred to as the productivity - referred to as the productivity puzzle. levels of employment are not

doing too bad but the performance of the economy is doing very poorly. why do we need so many more people in the economy to not produce enough on much more stuff, is one way to think about it. that comes back to very long standing problems of under investment, i think, very long standing problems of under investment, ithink, in infrastructure and if you like, skills and training and education and so forth. it is going back decades so this is a rut at the economy has been stuck into where the level of infrastructure is not where it needs to be, the level of skills and training are not where they are meant to be. we don�*t have a skilled enough workforce or a skilled enough productive tissue for growth to bounce back. if you add on the headwinds of brexit and trade frictions and so on, plus things like coming out of covid and then now the war in ukraine and inflationary pressures, it is a whole series of things getting in the way of growth getting back to

where it needs to be. but it is worth pointing out the uk is doing particularly badly internationally if we compare to comparative and similar economies.— if we compare to comparative and similar economies. would wage growth drive broader — similar economies. would wage growth drive broader growth _ similar economies. would wage growth drive broader growth in _ similar economies. would wage growth drive broader growth in economy? - similar economies. would wage growth drive broader growth in economy? we. drive broader growth in economy? we have the arguments from some people that if you increase wages then at the moment, that is going to increase inflation?— increase inflation? that is an argument — increase inflation? that is an argument out _ increase inflation? that is an argument out there. - increase inflation? that is an argument out there. it - increase inflation? that is an i argument out there. it revisits arguments from the 1970s where we did have a phenomenal of wage push inflation, demands forwages did have a phenomenal of wage push inflation, demands for wages being so high they drove up overall levels of inflation in the economy. that is not where we�*re at at the moment and thatis not where we�*re at at the moment and that is part down to low union power i talked about earlier. inflation is “p i talked about earlier. inflation is up around ten or 11%, some more ambitious wage claims are around 6%

so that drive behind inflation is not wages, wages are trying to keep pace as best they can with inflation so people can have a living standard that doesn�*t fall too far behind. the driving forces most likely energy prices and food prices so link partly to the war in ukraine but more broadly to commodity prices in the global economy. they will not be mitigated or adversely affected by what is happening on the wage claim front. by what is happening on the wage claim front-— claim front. 0k, good to talk to ou, claim front. 0k, good to talk to you, professor _ claim front. 0k, good to talk to you, professor of _ claim front. 0k, good to talk to you, professor of political - claim front. 0k, good to talk to - you, professor of political economy at the university of warwick, thank you very much. at the university of warwick, thank you very much-— the european parliament will hold an emergency debate today on allegations that qatar tried to buy influence over its policy decisions. police have seized hundreds of thousands of euros in cash following a search of offices, private homes and hotel rooms. the woman at the centre of allegations, greek mep eva kaili,

has denied any wrong—doing. 0ur brussels correspondent jessica parker told me more about the concern around reputational damage. i think there is a lot of damage control or efforts at damage control going on here at the european parliament. meps who were gathered in strasbourg for their regular plenary session, but the scandal overshadowing proceedings will also debate what has happened, what has emerged over recent days later on this afternoon. i would expect a lot of condemnation, criticism, calls for reform, calls for try to tackle lobbying rules to tackle corruption as well. a family lawyer for the accused said she is declaring her innocence and has nothing to do with bribery from qatar. qatar has also

denied any misconduct. they want to recover a bit of their reputation because members of the european parliament publicly elected and publicly paid for as well. the european parliament president last night gave an address where she said democracy was under attack from malign actors from third countries. she outlined a number of measures she wants to see to try and tighten up she wants to see to try and tighten up the rules here. but this has been embarrassing for the european parliament and i think people who before have been criticised by meps, for example the hungarian prime minister, they have been ridiculing the european parliament given the revelations that have emerged over the past few days. the details that have come from the belgian prosecutors have stunned quite a lot of people. one of the details we got yesterday from an update from the belgian authorities, among the hundreds and thousands of euros they had seized was a suitcase full of

cash from a brussels hotel. i think a lot ofjaws have been dropping over the allegations that have been emerging. as you say, for people due in court in belgium tomorrow. police in the bahamas have arrested sam bankman—fried, founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange ftx. he will appear in a magistrates court in the bahamas today according to the authorities in the caribbean country. police said mr bankman—fried was arrested for "financial 0ffences" against laws in the us and the bahamas. well, sam bankman—fried was seen as a bit of a hero in the cryptocurrency industry, he ran the second biggest cryptocurrency exchange, ftx, and this is a business which allows he also ran a crypto hedge fund on

the side. and what happened was about three orfour the side. and what happened was about three or four weeks ago it was revealed the financial stability of these companies was very much in question. particularly the hedge fund, which was backed by a cryptocurrency token which was invented by mr bankman—fried and his company, ftx. everything crumbled and there was a run on ftx and everybody took their money out very quickly and the whole thing came crashing down and he had to file for bankruptcy. since then he has been doing a series of tv interviews and newspaper interviews where he said, yes, i admit what i did was wrong, i didn�*t have a handle on the finances, i wasn�*t doing my due diligence as a ceo, but i have not committed fraud. i interviewed him last wednesday in the bahamas, we went out to speak to him. what was striking to me in that conversation was just how confident he was that he wouldn�*t be arrested and he

wasn�*t guilty of any criminality. i said to him, are you scared about being arrested, are you saying you will be clear of everything? he said i don�*t think i will be arrested, i don�*t think i did anything wrong in a criminal capacity. meanwhile, investigations carrying on in the bahamas by the security commissioned there. multiple investigations in there. multiple investigations in the us and though it seems the us has asked the bahamas to arrest him on their behalf and he waits extradition. here in the uk, hundreds of people gathered at a vigil overnight for three boys who died after they fell into an icy lake. the children, aged eight, ten and 11 were pulled from the water by emergency services on sunday afternoon, but couldn�*t be revived. a fourth boy remains in hospital in critical condition. 0ur correspondent aruna iyengar has the latest. the silence said everything. a tragedy beyond words. in the frozen evening, hundreds came. they laid flowers, lit

candles and said a prayer for the young lives lost. emergency crews were called on sunday afternoon after reports that children had been playing on the ice on babbs mill lake and had fallen through. there was a massive response from the emergency services. 0ne policeman tried to punch through the ice to get the youngsters. the first emergency call came at 2:34pm. an ambulance arrived within seven minutes, shortly after police and firefighters. by the time darkness fell that afternoon, the boys had been pulled out. they had all suffered cardiac arrest, due to the freezing temperature of the water. then on monday, the terrible news that three of the children had died. yesterday, firefighters were applauded as they lay flowers to honour the children. it�*s a very, very close—knit community. we have families that have been here for five generations. everybody knows everybody else.

and everybody i have spoken to — i have spoken to hundreds of people — arejust in an utter state of shock. everyone here wants to make sure the same accident doesn�*t happen again, but, for now, thoughts are with the families of the boys and how to help them. 0ur prayer and our thoughts are for them and we are here to support them as much as we can. and all the other church leaders and the group leaders in the community, we want to get together and maybe come up with a plan to somehow help them, and to be a support for them. the grief is raw in this community. they are holding their loved ones close, mourning the loss of innocent children out playing in the snow. aruna iyengar, bbc news. ukraine�*s health system is facing its darkest days in the war thus far. that�*s the warning from the who, after russia targeted the country�*s infrastructure, leaving millions of people without

electricity, heating or water. 0ur ukraine correspondent hugo bachega has sent this update. there is a lot of concern these attacks could lead to a humanitarian crisis. forweeks, russia has attacks could lead to a humanitarian crisis. for weeks, russia has been attacking this country�*s energy infrastructure and millions of people are facing difficult conditions without electricity, heating and without power. in kyiv, temperatures are below freezing and in other parts of the country. this is a country where temperatures can drop to —20 degrees celsius. there is a lot of concern that these attacks and these temperatures could lead to a humanitarian crisis. this is what the health minister had to say. translation: . �*, translation: that's right, the

ukrainian health _ translation: that's right, the ukrainian health care _ translation: that's right, the ukrainian health care system i translation: that's right, the ukrainian health care system is| ukrainian health care system is facing a new challenge as a result of the full—scale russian invasion of the full—scale russian invasion of ukraine. of the full-scale russian invasion of ukraine-— of the full-scale russian invasion of ukraine. since the beginning of the war, of ukraine. since the beginning of the war. we _ of ukraine. since the beginning of the war, we have _ of ukraine. since the beginning of the war, we have suffered - of ukraine. since the beginning of the war, we have suffered as - of ukraine. since the beginning of. the war, we have suffered as russia shelled _ the war, we have suffered as russia shelled civilians indiscriminately and attacked hospitals. already more than 1100 _ and attacked hospitals. already more than 1100 health care facilities have _ than 1100 health care facilities have been damaged and 144 completely destroyed _ have been damaged and 144 completely destroyed. and now, on top of that, we face _ destroyed. and now, on top of that, we face attacks on our energy infrastructure.— we face attacks on our energy infrastructure. are you concerned that this country _ infrastructure. are you concerned that this country may _ infrastructure. are you concerned that this country may face - infrastructure. are you concerned that this country may face a - that this country may face a humanitarian crisis if these attacks don�*t stop? the humanitarian crisis if these attacks don't sto - ? rn humanitarian crisis if these attacks don't sto? ., humanitarian crisis if these attacks don't stop?— don't stop? the risks are always hiuh. we don't stop? the risks are always high- we have — don't stop? the risks are always high. we have to _ don't stop? the risks are always high. we have to prepare - don't stop? the risks are always high. we have to prepare for. don't stop? the risks are always| high. we have to prepare for the worse _ high. we have to prepare for the worse situations. this is what we do. worse situations. this is what we do i_ worse situations. this is what we do iask— worse situations. this is what we do task our— worse situations. this is what we do. i ask our international partners to support — do. i ask our international partners to support our hospitals with generators, with heating systems so that hospitals can continue to function — that hospitals can continue to function in the event of a blackout.

what _ function in the event of a blackout. what is _ function in the event of a blackout. what is the — function in the event of a blackout. what is the advice you are giving to hospitals across the country? first of all, we want _ hospitals across the country? first of all, we want them _ hospitals across the country? first of all, we want them to _ hospitals across the country? first of all, we want them to prepare for the possibility of power outages, no heatind _ the possibility of power outages, no heating. there could be no water supply— heating. there could be no water supply and — heating. there could be no water supply and no functioning sewage system _ supply and no functioning sewage system. we have developed different plans for— system. we have developed different plans for these scenarios. we have already— plans for these scenarios. we have already told hospitals to limit the number _ already told hospitals to limit the number of patients admitted for planned — number of patients admitted for planned treatments and surgery. we are prioritising emergencies, trauma injuries, _ are prioritising emergencies, trauma injuries, anything related to the wan _ injuries, anything related to the wan we — injuries, anything related to the war. we understand the consequences. we understand that the war will have an indirect _ we understand that the war will have an indirect impact on the health of ukrainians— an indirect impact on the health of ukrainians which may not be noticeable right now. so ukrainians which may not be noticeable right now. so that is the ukrainian health _ noticeable right now. so that is the ukrainian health minister. - noticeable right now. so that is the ukrainian health minister. the -

ukrainian health minister. the authorities here have been saying they need help from their international partners and countries have been sending generators, so hospitals and essential services can keep operating. yesterday us official said they had sent the first part of power equipment to ukraine, this is help worth $13 million to continue to help the ukrainians as the electricity infrastructure comes under attack. the south african parliament is set to hold an impeachment vote on whether the country�*s president cyril ramaphosa has violated the constitution. it concerns the alleged theft of millions of us dollars from mr ramaphosa�*s farm in 2020. our south africa correspondent nomsa maseko told us what is likely to happen. the vote is going to take place at

local time and the mps have been instructed to reject the report which found that president ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office. however, opposition parties have been saying and basically pleading with anc mps to vote in support of impeachment proceedings, which obviously could take months before that happens. but even so, the president could survive the impeachment vote itself if it does go ahead, given the dominance of the anc in parliament. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news. a siege at a remote property in the australian state of queensland has left six people dead, two of them police. they had gone to the house hundreds of kilometres west of brisbane to investigate reports of a missing person. the head of the local police union described the shootings

as ruthless and cold—blooded. authorities in indonesia say foreigners visiting the country will not be charged under its new law which criminalises sex outside marriage. the legislation, which is due to take effect in three years, carries a penalty of up to a year in jail for sex outside marriage. businesses are worried that the strict law will negatively impact indonesia�*s tourism industry. for the first time in its history, the nhs will offer to sequence the entire genetic code of newborn babies. 100,000 healthy babies will be included in the trial, which will screen them for hundreds of genetic disorders. with more, here�*s our medical editor fergus walsh. nine—year—old owen is full of energy now but used to be unable to walk as a result of a rare genetic condition. it took his parents years to get a diagnosis and the medicine he needed.

i lost count of how many doctors and consultants we went to see and how many tests they did on him, cos for four and a half years the doctors could not tell us really what to expect. that diagnostic odyssey only ended when owen�*s entire genetic code was sequenced and his parents finally knew what was wrong with him. it was like winning the lottery, it was better than that, because we knew that there was a treatment pathway. we knew that we could get him support and he could attend a mainstream school with support, and have this full fulfilled life. it was incredible. she�*s not going to like this little bit. oh, yeah. this is how newborn screening is done now. the heel prick blood tests which this five—day old is having at the rosie maternity hospital in cambridge. it screens for nine genetic disorders, including cystic fibrosis.

whole genome sequencing will identify around 200 conditions, all of them treatable. i think it sounds fantastic to catch babies that could potentially be ill a little bit later so early. the voluntary study will enrol 100,000 healthy newborns who will have their entire dna mapped, looking for gene disorders that emerge in early childhood. we could avoid harm that is done by picking those conditions up late and also reduce the pressure on families but also the health system. there is enormous potential here and in some cases these conditions where the intervention is there, it may save children�*s lives. dna sequencing used to be prohibitively expensive and time—consuming — no longer. this brave new world of genetics is only possible because machines like this can map our dna, more than 3 billion letters of code, faster and cheaper than ever before.

there you go, there is your medicine, owen. the treatment for owen�*s rare thyroid disorder costs just a few pence a day... come on, let�*s go to school, then. ..but makes a massive difference to him and his family. we are moving on to looking at adding and subtracting multiples of ten. genome sequencing does raise ethical questions. it could identify children at high risk of cancer later in life but the research team say they will only look at treatable childhood conditions like owen�*s where early diagnosis may prevent serious harm. fergus walsh, bbc news. the eldest member of the south korean boyband bts is starting his mandatory military duty on tuesday. jin is the first member to enlist since the group took a break from performing.

they say they�*ll re—form in several years�* time after all seven members have completed their national service. a warning — this report from katie silver contains some flash photography. from adulation to apprehension. jin, the oldest member of bts, has entered compulsory military service, breaking hearts across korea and around the world. he posted this photo of his newly acquired buzz cut. the caption, "it looks cuter than i expected." with south korea technically still at war with its northern neighbour, all able—bodied men are required to serve for at least 18 months and must enlist by the age of 28. last year the band was given a special exemption to defer their service for two years. officials said they increase the value of the national brand.

but now, withjin reaching 30 years old, the time has come. it has left many wondering what the future holds for theirfavourite band and can it survive this hiatus? translation: it was a very active i group starting with jin and i am | aware that all the other members are going to do their military service. i am a little worried that the break will be prolonged. translation: i saw lots of articles about the military duty of bts - and i realise they are finally going and now i also think about how well it can be maintained if one member is missing. translation: in fact i as a representative artist of our country i think- it is unfortunate that they are going to have a break of several years but on the other hand - it is a mandatory duty - as a citizen of our country. so after doing it well i wish he can be reunited again i with the other members.

for the army of bts fans it will be a long 18 months to see if the band will come back together. the world cup is nearing its climax in qatar with today seeing the first of the semifinals. argentina led by their star player lionel messi take on croatia for a place in sunday�*s final. the winners will face either morocco or france, who play tomorrow. joining me live from doha is ourfootball reporter alex howell. hello to you, alex. an awful lot of interest in the possible permutations and outcomes of these two games, let�*s talk about the first semifinal first of all, argentina versus croatia, give us your take on how that game might go. of your take on how that game might go. of course croatia in their last two games needing extra time and penalties to win. it games needing extra time and penalties to win.— games needing extra time and penalties to win. it has been the sto of penalties to win. it has been the story of croatia's _ penalties to win. it has been the story of croatia's journey, - penalties to win. it has been thej story of croatia's journey, taking story of croatia�*s journey, taking teens deeper into the matches, into extra time and penalties. but this

semifinal is really the story around the number ten for both teens, folk residents, luka modric, someone who has won the ballon d�*or, he is 37 years old, and this will most likely be his last tournament. all of the croatian players and fans want to continue the journey for him, they lost in the world cup final in 2018 to france so there is a story there in itself. but then we look at lionel messi, many call him the best player in the world at the moment, best player to ever play the game, sometimes, and the way the argentina team are playing is for him, nicolas tagliafico, who plays in defence, saying that having lionel messi is giving them a special push and something to work for, and you can see lionel messi is really enjoying the challenge, it is also most likely going to be his last world cup, at 35, and he is really leading

these young players. i have been to see him play in one of the group matches, against poland, and the atmosphere and the pressure is really incredible for him, but whatever happens, there is going to be a big story around either of the two countries�* most famous players. and am i right in saying that tonight�*s appearance for lionel messi will equal the record for the number of appearances in the world cup? number of appearances in the world cu . 7 ., �* , number of appearances in the world cu? cup? that's right. the records are really tumbling — cup? that's right. the records are really tumbling for _ cup? that's right. the records are really tumbling for lionel - cup? that's right. the records are really tumbling for lionel messi, i cup? that's right. the records are i really tumbling for lionel messi, he played his 1000th game of his career here, which is really incredible, he has levelled the most goals in a world cup for argentina, he is chasing the most assists, which is held by diego maradona, and the fans here are really pushing him on, wherever you can go you can hear the chance of messi. since i have arrived in qatar argentina are the most supported country here by a long, long way, from day one, there

was lionel messi shirts everywhere, murals of diego maradona, you go to the souk, every night you can see the souk, every night you can see the argentina fans gathering to sing and create the atmosphere, and if you�*ve seen any of the matches, it is incredible, i�*m not sure how the fans are managing to do it, 95% of the stadiums are argentina fans, so they are very well supported and they are very well supported and they will be hoping that they can share their side into the world cup final. �* a, . ., ., ., , share their side into the world cup final. �* ., ., , ., . final. and morocco against france, i was 'ust final. and morocco against france, i was just reading _ final. and morocco against france, i wasjust reading how— final. and morocco against france, i was just reading how dozens - final. and morocco against france, i wasjust reading how dozens of - final. and morocco against france, i was just reading how dozens of free | was just reading how dozens of free flights are being put on for moroccan fans to get to doha in time for that game?— for that game? yes, that's right. behind argentina, _ for that game? yes, that's right. behind argentina, who _ for that game? yes, that's right. behind argentina, who i - for that game? yes, that's right. i behind argentina, who i mentioned is the most supported, coming in in second place will be morocco, they will be hoping they will not be

coming in second tomorrow against france but their story is incredible. if you asked a general football supporters i have spoken to here, if their own country has been knocked out they are supporting morocco because the story is so special. they are the first african side to ever make it to the semifinals, so they have a tough task ahead of them. the holders of the world cup in france, but they have knocked out spain and portugal, so they will believe that they can go one step further and make it into the world cup final.— the world cup final. alex, whatever ha--ens the world cup final. alex, whatever ha ens it the world cup final. alex, whatever happens it is — the world cup final. alex, whatever happens it is going _ the world cup final. alex, whatever happens it is going to _ the world cup final. alex, whatever happens it is going to be _ the world cup final. alex, whatever happens it is going to be a - happens it is going to be a fascinating story for you to tell, thank you very much. education inspectors in england say too many children with special needs are facing delays in being assessed. the annual report from ofsted which is published today will say that last year only 60% of education, health and care plans were issued by local authorities within the statutory limit of 20 weeks. here�*s our education

correspondent, elaine dunkley. harry is three—and—a—half. trying to navigate the system to get him the right help for his needs has pushed his mother to the edge. it�*s affected my mental health in a major, major way. he never gets dizzy. it�*s like being on a merry—go—round. you just can�*t get off. you can�*t get a straight answer. it�*s hard. leanne is desperate for harry to get an education and health care plan. without it, he won�*t get a place at a specialist school in the area that takes children from the age of three. everything he needs is in the hands of professionals. his needs are so much more and i cannot meet those. because that is impossible for me to do. and that�*s what�*s hard. he could be in a setting now, but he�*s not. over in liverpool, the brain charity is putting on workshops to help families understand and apply

for education and health care plans. it sets out what a child's special educational needs are, and the provision necessary to meet each and every one of those needs. a lack of educational psychologists, funding and the right support in mainstream schools and the pandemic is all part of the problem. there are massive pressures. and what that results in on the ground is waits for assessments, waits for provisions to be put in place, often a real battle between the parents and what they believe their child actually needs to thrive and what is then offered to them. what this means for the generation that are coming through school at the moment is, life is going to be that much more difficult for them. this is casey. i like designing and building computers. i do also love engineering and electronics and physics. despite his intelligence,

he struggled at primary school. he has autism and dyslexia. ready, steady, go, highest goes first. his first application for an education and health care plan was rejected. eventually casey got the support he needed but only after waiting eight months. he was really struggling, getting very anxious and upset, struggling to go into school in the morning and having quite a lot of meltdowns. the change was massive. a few small things were put into place so having someone that he could check in and outwith, having some one—to—one support in english, looking at getting support for the sats. we went from a child who was school refusing to a child who wanted to walk into school. ofsted says the system needs an overhaul. it's hard getting children assessed and getting them the right services, families are getting frustrated and some are turning to private assessment, schools are picking up the gaps with things like speech therapy out of their own budgets. it's a system which is leaving a lot

of people unsatisfied at the moment. the government has promised improvements to special educational needs in the new year, with £400 million of investment. ofsted says early intervention is crucial, with too many families caught in a system failing them from the start. elaine dunkley, bbc news. the incoming general secretary of the association for educational psychologists, dr cath lowther, told me more about what the education health and care plans are. education, health and care plans describe the needs of children and young people and what kind of resources they would need in orderfor them to thrive within school. the difficulty with education, health and care plans, and i think that was referred to in your report, they come sort of at the end when there is a high level of need and only a small proportion of children usually have that level of need that

requires an education, health and care plan. ideally, we would like that earlier intervention so that they support intervention so that the support and access to specialist services is done way before a child might need something like an education, health and care plan, whereby actually support provided within the school are provided within the school for additional needs, and the range of different needs which children and young people might experience as they go through the education system... so, it is that early intervention which is crucial to get that child, their education setting, their family, on the right track. why are we seeing these delays in sorting this out? so, at the moment i think there are delays because there has been an exponential growth for requests for an education, health and care needs assessment, i think because the education system is failing our children and young people more generally, so there needs to be a review

of the education system, really rethinking the curriculum and how it is inclusive and adapts and encompasses all children and young people�*s ambitions and requirements, just to make sure that they thrive. but on top of that there is a lack of funding in terms of accessing the specialists who would provide the reports including educational psychologists, there is a national shortage of educational psychologists, so for example i can say between 2021 and 2022, there are 93,302 requests for assessments and there are only 3,200 educational psychologists within england. so you can see the maths is quite pressured in terms of responding to those requests. so, do you think the education system is too much of a one size fits all approach, is that what you�*re saying? it is absolutely a very narrow one size fits all approach which doesn�*t at all meet the needs of children

and young people. educational psychologists have called for a review of the education system and the curriculum on numerous occasions and we are still fighting to make sure that that education system changes so that it focuses on the holistic child, focuses on being inclusive, thinking about behaviours and communication, about relationships, providing choices, and at the moment we are not really meeting the needs of our children and young people and i think our education system in many ways is failing our children and young people in the future and young people and the future of our country, really. the £400 million that the government has promised, are you clear what that is going to be used for and how those resources are going to be directed? i am not clear how that money is going to be spent. i imagine it may be spent sort of fixing the current system rather than thinking about how it could be completely different. and i think we are very appreciative of some of that money going towards training more educational psychologists

but we definitely need a lot more, we need at least twice the number of educational psychologists that are available to support children and young people at early stages as well as to respond to the times when there is an education, health and care plan required for them. dr cath lowther, thank you very much for your thoughts today. it�*s been three days sincejimmy lai, founder of the pro—democracy newspaper apple daily, was sentenced to almost six years in prison for fraud. he was already serving time for attending a banned vigil. his lawyer said he�*s faced multiple prosecutions and lawsuits to silence and discredit him. our reporter in hong kong, martin yip, explained the background to this case. we are talking about two cases here, what happened back on saturday was a fraud case which was actually talking aboutjimmy lai having one of his companies, a kind of consultancy firm, operating inside

the media compound. that building sits on government industrial estate land, and by doing so, without notifying the management company of the industrial estate, the government say it is a fraudulent act, so he was sentenced to five years and nine months. and today there is actually a new development to another case, which is the collusion with foreign forces, that is aboutjimmy lai, according to the prosecutors, it is about what he has done through his publications on apple daily to call for sanctions on hong kong, so, the case has now been adjourned for almost come away more than nine months, to september next year, for trial, because in between, jimmy lai tried to hire a british kings counsel to defend him in this case. the government prosecutors are not happy about it but the hong kong

court withheld their decision to approve this appointment, so the hong kong leaderjohn lee ka—chiu has requested the chinese parliament to, what is called, explaining or interpreting the national security law, on weatherforeign interpreting the national security law, on weather foreign councils could be hired in national security cases. so, now we have this delay although i tell september. at least five people have died in fresh clashes between anti—government protestors and security forces in peru. the unrest was triggered by the arrest of former president pedro castillo last week — and shows no sign of slowing down, as naomi choy smith reports. violent protests turned deadly on monday as demonstrators stormed the airport, blocking the runway and clashing with police in peru�*s second—largest city. days of demonstrations have dropped peru in

the wake of former president pedro castro�*s arrested last week. the protesters reject peru�*s new president who hastily took office after casio tried to dissolve congress and was immediately impeached. he could face charges of conspiracy and rebellion. someone him freed and reinstated. translation: we him freed and reinstated. translation:— him freed and reinstated. translation: ~ ., , , , translation: we have been sleeping here for the last _ translation: we have been sleeping here for the last four _ translation: we have been sleeping here for the last four days _ translation: we have been sleeping here for the last four days and - translation: we have been sleeping here for the last four days and we i here for the last four days and we are going to continue until we bring our president back to the palace. while others want a say in who succeeds him. translation: ~ ., ., ., translation: we are demanding that the shut translation: we are demanding that they shut down — translation: we are demanding that they shut down the _ translation: we are demanding that they shut down the congress _ translation: we are demanding that they shut down the congress and i translation: we are demanding that they shut down the congress and call i they shut down the congress and call for actions _ they shut down the congress and call foractions. he has they shut down the congress and call for actions. he has tried to ease tensions— for actions. he has tried to ease tensions by— for actions. he has tried to ease tensions by bringing elections forward — tensions by bringing elections forward by two years and declaring a state of _ forward by two years and declaring a state of emergency in flashpoint areas _ areas. translation: | areas. translation: . ., areas. translation: . . , ., ., translation: i declare the state of emeruen translation: i declare the state of emergency in _ translation: i declare the state of emergency in areas _ translation: i declare the state of

emergency in areas of _ translation: i declare the state of emergency in areas of high - translation: i declare the state of emergency in areas of high social. emergency in areas of high social conflict — emergency in areas of high social conflict i— emergency in areas of high social conflict. i give instructions to peacefully recover control and order without _ peacefully recover control and order without affecting the fundamental rights _ without affecting the fundamental rights of the citizens. but without affecting the fundamental rights of the citizens.— rights of the citizens. but it has done little _ rights of the citizens. but it has done little to _ rights of the citizens. but it has done little to calm _ rights of the citizens. but it has done little to calm the - rights of the citizens. but it has done little to calm the anger. l done little to calm the anger. scuffles even broke out in congress over the weekend during an emergency session to discuss the crisis, as the fight over peru�*s political future rages on. to the us now, where reports suggest there�*s been a major breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion. scientists at this federal lab in california say they may have found a way to generate more energy than the amount they put in. nuclear fusion works by combining rather than splitting atomic nuclei. hurdles do still remain but this net energy gain could bring the world one step closer to an abundant source of clean energy. anna erickson is professor of nuclear and radiological engineering at georgia tech. she�*s been explaining more about this breakthrough.

let�*s start with the fact that fusion fascinates everybody because it�*s so mysterious but it�*s all over the place right, the sun works with fusion, so it is the most natural thing. but it is difficult because with fusion you put two nuclei together and they are positively charged so if you try to put two magnets together, they tend to repel each other, right? could be difficult. same with the nuclei, you actually have to put a lot of work into making them come together, so the nuclear forces take over. so, once you achieve that, once the two nuclei are close enough, they fuse, hence the word fusion, and then energy is released, and more amount than traditional, better known, vision energy. so, why is it so difficult? well, fishing and fusion were discovered almost at the same time in the 1930s. ten years later we had the atomic bomb and commercial nuclear power plants, operating on fission. well, breaking

things is easier than putting them together. fusion is still remaining ahead of us, so this is a great breakthrough but it is a step forward. much of the world is experiencing a housing crisis. too many people and too few places to live. but building new homes isn�*t easy — in part due to a lack of trained workers. in the netherlands they�*re trying a new and innovative way to solve the problem, as tim allman explains. this is a skilled and venerable tradition. for more than 9,000 years humanity has been laying bricks. but what happens when you run short of people who can do the job? well, how about this? a robot bricklayer, working with precision, accuracy, and most importantly, speed. translation: he can lay bricks better than a bricklayer, - i did a competition and it won. this metal mason operates under human supervision and can do the job

around three times faster than any normal brickie. it never tires, never falters, never needs to take a comfort break, and believe it or not, it may also be good for the environment. translation: it's a solution - to build faster and without errors, saving time and money, it's also an opportunity to build much more sustainably, with fewer materials and fewer c02 emissions. this company has bought two of these machines and for now they are only in the testing phase. the hope is that they will soon be bricklaying in earnest, a robot revolution, house building for the 21st century. tim allman, bbc news. if you hear the phrase "house share", you may well think about a group of university students or young flatmates at the start of their careers. but it can also be a great way for elderly people to enjoy some company, cut their bills and avoid the need to go into a care home. a project in south—west england is helping to make this happen

by matching older homeowners with younger housemates. janine jansen has the details. when 93—year—old daphne lost her husband, living home alone in truro got lonely. but now she has been matched with ros, her new house sharer. i love it. ijust think it is such a good idea. more people should do it. so many people live alone in their own homes, particularly facing this winter, electricity and gas bills. it�*s a way of sharing resources more. i�*ve got skills and time and also it meets my needs so i�*m getting company. i�*m not going home to an empty house every night. ros says that cost of living forced her to downsize. she sold her house in penzance and she got empty nest syndrome when her daughter went to uni. now she gets discounted rent in return for giving daphne support and companionship. i do a bit of cleaning, we play some games if she is

motivated to do that. we watch television together. i encourage her to eat at particular times, so mornings, i think that has made a difference to her. i make sure she has a hot drink and porridge before she even gets out of bed. daphne does not want to go in a care home. she has carers come in and now ros is the missing ingredient. the best thing, ithink, is, just to hear footsteps upstairs. ican hearthem. she will go the extra mile, for anything, you know. no, i couldn't, if i wanted to, i couldn't find fault. the company says it runs safeguarding checks before picking the right match. a home sharer can be anybody who has a good heart and is able to help between 10—15 hours each week. the help is mainly practical help and companionship and being present and having tea together,

just exchanging conversation. morning, mum, how you doing? daphne�*s son brian had been worried about his mum being lonely and losing weight. now she is a different person. mum is a lot more buoyant, she is more happy, talkative. she eats a lot more. and whilst mum is restricted at 93, she is not as mobile as she was when she was 60, she wants to get around and life is far more comfortable for her. the home share company works in partnership with the nhs and cornwall council. the great thing about this is it�*s addressing two big issues within cornwall, one is enough carers to help keep people at home, and the other has been the housing crisis over the past years. this home share model addresses both of those things. so for the individual, independence, continuing

to live in their own home, and for individuals looking for much cheaper rent and an opportunity to get this in an innovative way and address those two big issues. these two say their match is a win—win. and guess what, daphne has even been inspired to take up exercise. that was janine jansen reporting from truro. dance routines to pop songs are pretty popular on social media but they don�*t often catch the attention of the original artist. # son of them want to be abused... annie lennox, however, did see this routine by canadian duo funkanometry. she praised the pair for their moves to the eurythmics hit sweet dreams. they were very pleased with the compliment, although they did apparently have to ask their parents exactly who annie lennox is.

an watching bbc news. hello again. for many of us it was a bitterly cold start to the day today and the cold thing will continued a and the cold thing will continued a and night until we get to sunday. you can see the blue blues bathing the british isles, before we start to pull in more of an atlantic influence on sunday. so, the change influence on sunday. so, the change in temperature is represented by the yellows, just something less cold. today we have snow showers pushing south across scotland, another batch coming in with strengthening winds across the northern isles, and in the south—west of the snow level will drop down to lower levels this afternoon. forthe will drop down to lower levels this afternoon. for the rest of the uk we are looking at variable amounts of

cloud and sunshine, hazy in the south—east, and those are the temperatures, feeling cold wherever you are. this evening and overnight this band of rain, sleet and snow pushes further east, possibly getting as far east as west sussex. further snow showers coming in across northern scotland with strengthening winds, looking at blizzards here, with snow showers coming inland across the north—east of england. tonight we are looking once again at a widespread frost and the risk of ice on untreated surfaces. that risk the next few days as well, but we are looking for midweek onwards at cold northerly winds, but we will have improving visibility, we will lose the freezing fog, and there will still be wintry showers, most of which will be in scotland. on wednesday, further wintry showers coming in, with gales, even severe gales, blizzards. at times some snow showers coming in off the north sea. and the rain, sleet and snow in the south will be pushing towards the channel islands. but there will be a

lot of dry weather and sunshine although it will still feel cold wherever you are. another cold and frosty start on thursday with the risk of ice but a lot of dry weather and sunshine around but still these wintry showers across the north and the west and it will still feel cold. moving towards the end of the week you will notice a change in temperatures, still cold during friday and saturday, sunday, the temperature goes up, some of us seeing some rain but there is a chance of snow on sunday as well and you can check if that is happening where you are on our bbc weather app.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 11am... members of the rail workers�* union, the rmt, begin fresh industrial action today. they�*re striking on four days this week, meaning a near total shutdown of the uk�*s railway network. the negotiation is getting to a position where both sides can accept a deal. the government, the dft and all the way up to number ten had put conditions on the train operating companies that will blow up any chance of a deal. it is important people realise we have made a reasonable pay offer, in line with what people get in the private sector. it is important we also deliver reform as well as dealing with pay to make sure we have a sustainable rail industry the future. the european parliament is voting on whether to remove

its vice president eva kaili amid a corruption scandal and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials. official figures suggest 417,000 working days were lost to strikes in october — the highest in more than a decade. latest data also shows the unemployment rate rose to 3.7% in the three months leading to october. a community comes together in a vigil for the three boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in solihull. a fourth boy, who�*s six, remains in a critical condition in hospital. k—pop starjin, the oldest member of the group b t s, begins his mandatory south korean military duty — the first member of the band to do so. the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange ftx, sam bankman—fried, is arrested for "financial offences" in the bahamas.

here in the uk, a fresh wave of strike action that�*s expected to cause major disruption to key services in the run—up to christmas has begun this morning. around 40,000 rail workers, who are members of the rmt union, are taking part in the first of two 48—hour stoppages as part of a long—running dispute aboutjobs, pay and conditions. only about 20% of the country�*s normal rail service is expected to run — that means four out of every five trains will be cancelled. many parts of britain, including most of scotland and wales, will have no trains at all. and there are unlikely to be any trains running anywhere this evening. network rail has warned that trains that are running are likely to be very busy and its urging passengers to travel only if absolutely necessary. our transport correspondent, katy austin has the details. at york�*s christmas market,

festive cheer is in good supply. but, for people hoping to get here by train, more travel misery is in store. local hotels worry strikes have put some visitors off. they�*ve had individual bookings cancelled, conferences, meetings cancelled. this happening just in the week before christmas, this obviously is going to hurt because everybody is trying to bolster their bank balance in order to deal with the first quarter of next year. on strike days this week — that�*s today, tomorrow, friday and saturday — only about 20% of britain�*s usual train services will run. and trains will start later and finish much earlier than they normally do. there will also be some knock—on disruption on thursday and sunday mornings. rail workers in the rmt have already walked out on eight days this year in a dispute the union says is over pay, protectingjobs and working conditions.

passengers now face four weeks of disruption. there are two 48—hour train strikes this week, an overtime ban at 14 rail companies from sunday is expected to cause some cancellations, and a strike at network rail will see services finish even earlier than usual on christmas eve and start late on the 27th. and more national walk—outs are planned injanuary. the rail industry says changes to working practices are needed to fund higher pay. rmt members have now voted to reject what network rail called its best and final offer. the union called it substandard. and rmt leaders have already turned down an offer from the train operating companies group and blamed the government for insisting on conditions it said were not acceptable. we wa nt we wantan we want an end to these strikes. they will damage the railway, they

will damage work and security, and we are offering security. there will be no compulsory redundancies for the workforce. there will be a generous pay rise for them. the approach has been accepted by some unions and our message of the rmt is, come on. the unions and our message of the rmt is. come on-— unions and our message of the rmt is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into — is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into view, _ is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but _ is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but an _ is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but an end - is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but an end to i is, come on. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but an end to the i swiftly into view, but an end to the disruption is not. the general secretary of the rmt union, mick lynch, is blaming the government for a lack of progress on reaching a deal. we understand the anger that is caused by the disruption of the stoppages, of course. but we are getting a lot of support from the public and we continue to get messages, people continue to visit the picket line. why are the government subsidising the strike? at the end of this current phase, the government will have absorbed £320 million worth of losses in order to keep this strike going. there is an opportunity to develop solutions, but the government, i am afraid, is preventing that from happening. we havejust heard hugh merriman

talking about a very generous offer, it is not generous, it is way below inflation, cut by 50% and conditions changes on our members by network rail is unacceptable. it is bringing in driver—only operation they know we will never accept. the art of negotiation is getting to a position where both sides can accept the deal and the government, the dft and all the way up to number ten has put conditions and the train operating companies that they know will blow up any chance of a deal. the rail executives know that, andrew haynes from network rail knows what he�*s got to do, but they are not being allowed to do that because of some ideological stance by the government at the moment. the transport secretary mark harper has told sally nugent on bbc breakfast he believes a fair and reasonable offer is on the table.

we�*ve tried to facilitate a deal. after i met with trade unions and offer was made to them by the train operating companies and an improved offer was made by network rail, building on a certain level of reform, improvements to outdated working practices and an improved pay offer. i think it is a very fair and reasonable offer that i think most people listening to this, if they look at what is being offered, it is comparable to deals being done across the rest of the economy, across the private sector. i hope the rmt reflect on it and think again. you say you didn�*t block a better pay deal but has the treasury put parameters on the limits of a potential pay deal? as i said... yes? a fair and reasonable offer has been made. no? this is about dealing with reform and an improved pay offer. i met with the unions and an improved pay offer was made. there isn�*t a bottomless

pit of taxpayers money. so, yes? we have to have a pay rise that is fair to the workers in the industry, but there isn�*t a bottomless pit. i think there is a fair offer on the table. fair to taxpayers and fair to people who work in the industry and fair to passengers and i hope the rmt reflect on it and change their position. our 0ur correspondence our correspondence has been at woking station this morning and gave us the latest from there. we woking station this morning and gave us the latest from there.— us the latest from there. we have had eiuht us the latest from there. we have had eight days — us the latest from there. we have had eight days of— us the latest from there. we have had eight days of strikes - us the latest from there. we have had eight days of strikes already i had eight days of strikes already and now we have got this strike and another later this week, and two more in earlyjanuary, and a network rail strike over the christmas period, which will delay engineering works. now, part of this is about pay and there are offers on the table from the rmt and from the rail delivery group which represents the train operating companies, and from network rail. other unions have not accepted those offers. they say it

is notjust about pay, it is about terms and conditions, working practices. for example, when it comes to the rail companies, they want to introduce driver only trains, orat want to introduce driver only trains, or at least that�*s what the union says, and they say that as a deal—breaker. likewise with network rail, there are changes to working conditions being proposed that the unions say they simply can�*t accept. at the moment, there doesn�*t seem to be any sort of movement, and the unions are also saying that network rail and the rail delivery group seem to be shackled a little bit by the government. they are not able to negotiate in the way that would normally happen. so there seems to be intransigence at the moment, there seems to be a logjam, and nobody seems to be willing to compromise so it does look as if disruption to the railways is going to continue at the very least until the 9th of january, and quite possibly beyond then as well. joining me now with more on this is co—editor of new internationalist magazine and rail

passenger, conrad landin. he is also a regular rail passenger and was supposed to be travelling from glasgow to oxford today for his office christmas party but obviously can�*t do that. conrad, how are you feeling about your plans being scuppered?— feeling about your plans being scu--ered? ., _ , feeling about your plans being scu--ered? ~ ., , , , ., scuppered? well, obviously it is not ideal, but scuppered? well, obviously it is not ideal. but we _ scuppered? well, obviously it is not ideal, but we will— scuppered? well, obviously it is not ideal, but we will cope. _ scuppered? well, obviously it is not ideal, but we will cope. i _ scuppered? well, obviously it is not ideal, but we will cope. i think i ideal, but we will cope. i think people across the country, everyone, apart from people at the very top, a feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis, and what we are seeing here is a group of workers standing together and saying that they are not prepared to take real terms cuts to their pay, and also cuts to their terms and conditions and a threat to theirjob security. i think that is something that should be applauded. this i think that is something that should be applauded.- i think that is something that should be applauded. as you say, lots of people _ should be applauded. as you say, lots of people in _ should be applauded. as you say, lots of people in very _ should be applauded. as you say, lots of people in very difficult i lots of people in very difficult financial circumstances right now. and being disrupted by the action

here. do you expect there will be many people who don�*t have sympathy for the decision to take this strike action in the run—up to christmas? well, i think everyone wants to be able to get to work without disruption, but when they get to work, they want to be able to work for a decent wage and without having to work unsocial hours with no extra benefits. and also, they don�*t want to see theirjobs threatened. i think that is why we are seeing so many different groups of workers, not just many different groups of workers, notjust in the public sector, but in the private sector as well, here in the private sector as well, here in glasgow we have seen coffin makers going on strike. i think a lot of people are realising that the best way to stand up against this cost of living crisis is by taking action collectively.— cost of living crisis is by taking action collectively. with the rail workers, action collectively. with the rail workers. it _ action collectively. with the rail workers, it is _ action collectively. with the rail workers, it is a _ action collectively. with the rail workers, it is a mixed - action collectively. with the rail workers, it is a mixed picture, i action collectively. with the rail| workers, it is a mixed picture, in that it brings in pay, and it also

brings injob cuts. 1850 job cuts in prospect for network rail and they say they have already had more than that number coming forward asking for voluntary redundancy to take those cuts, and if that is agreed, it can pave the way potentially for savings to be used to fund pay increases. savings to be used to fund pay increases-— savings to be used to fund pay increases. ~ ~ , increases. well, i think there is obviously _ increases. well, i think there is obviously a _ increases. well, i think there is obviously a difference - increases. well, i think there is obviously a difference as i increases. well, i think there is obviously a difference as well. obviously a difference as well between how the strikes have been dealt with by the uk government and by the scottish government. obviously, the headline pay increases in scotland have not been particularly different to those offered in britain, but there has not been at the same inflammatory rhetoric here, and there has not been the same threat to terms and conditions and tojob been the same threat to terms and conditions and to job security. so i think, those things were taken off the table by the uk governments, if

they said they were prepared to negotiate on those things and not impose cuts to terms and conditions, not impose redundancies at this point, when so many people are worried about their ability to pay their mortgages, to pay their rent, to be able to afford christmas presents for their children, i think that could take some of the heat out of this dispute, and help towards getting a negotiated settlement. so you are saying it is notjust about the money, it is much more nuanced than that? ~ , than that? absolutely. the uk government — than that? absolutely. the uk government seems _ than that? absolutely. the uk government seems to - than that? absolutely. the uk government seems to have i than that? absolutely. the uk i government seems to have been gunning for these strikes, and they serve as a distraction from the cost of living crisis that the uk government has made and is failing to address, and they know that if they can break the railway workers in one of the most collectivised, most unionised sectors in the country, then they can break anyone. i think that is what we should all be thinking about. if the railway

workers can be defeated in this dispute, then so can... workers can be defeated in this dispute, then so can. . .- workers can be defeated in this dispute, then so can... sorry, if ou dispute, then so can... sorry, if you don't— dispute, then so can... sorry, if you don't mind, _ dispute, then so can... sorry, if you don't mind, what _ dispute, then so can... sorry, if you don't mind, what you i dispute, then so can... sorry, if you don't mind, what you were | dispute, then so can... sorry, if- you don't mind, what you were saying you don�*t mind, what you were saying in terms of the different in scotland and in england, in the approach to the strikes with the railway workers and the fact that there is not a very different pay off on the table, but there is a different approach. i off on the table, but there is a different approach.— off on the table, but there is a different approach. i think that's ri . ht, different approach. i think that's riaht, and different approach. i think that's right. and the — different approach. i think that's right, and the rmt— different approach. i think that's right, and the rmt would - different approach. i think that's l right, and the rmt would certainly also have criticisms of the scottish government and be asking for a better offer from government and be asking for a better offerfrom the government and be asking for a better offer from the scottish government, and they wouldn�*t in any way be holding them up as an example, but at the same time, the scottish government has taken a less inflammatory approach to this, and has also not made the same threats to terms and conditions and to job security that the uk government has made in network rail, and the uk governments we have heard in the financial times last week intervened

to block an offer from the train operating companies... but interesting _ operating companies... but interesting this _ operating companies... but interesting this morning the transport secretary indicating that is absolutely not true.— is absolutely not true. well, the financial times _ is absolutely not true. well, the financial times reported - is absolutely not true. well, the financial times reported last i is absolutely not true. well, the i financial times reported last week that they had heard that from three different sources in the industry, and it is clear that the government holds the purse strings of this dispute and that if there is going to be a settlement, there needs to be a will from the government to negotiate seriously in this dispute. conrad landon, thank you. of conrad landon, thank you. of course it is notjust the chains that will be affected by strikes this week. —— trains. the first nationwide strike by nurses in england, wales and northern ireland looks set to go ahead on thursday. i asked them several times in the meeting to please discuss pay with me.

in fact, i lost count of the number of times i asked it. each time we returned to the same thing, there was no extra money on the table and he would not be discussing pay with me. i am extremely disappointed at the belligerence that was shown. they closed their books and walked away from the nursing profession this afternoon. our chief political correspondent tells us it remains uncertain how the government will avoid parts of the government will avoid parts of the public sector coming to a standstill. it could be hugely politically damaging, basically fora it could be hugely politically damaging, basically for a prime minister who has tried to build his brand on competence if, you know, large parts of the public sector are grinding to a halt, that is not going to bode well for rishi sunak. however, i am going to bode well for rishi sunak. however, iam not going to bode well for rishi sunak. however, i am not actually all that sure what they are going to do differently to avoid that happening. you know, wejust heard ben talking

about the rail dispute, ministers are adamant they are not going to get involved in the specific pay negotiations. when it comes to nurses, they are involved in the pay negotiations, but they are not budging. they have said look, these independent pay bodies came up with a figure, we are accepting it and we will talk about conditions and other things, but on pay there is a red line. because of the royal college of nursing is saying, look, we need to pay to be on the table here, we need to come up with a better offer if we are going to avoid strikes by nurses, it is really hard to see where the room for a solution is there. it feels like both sides are waiting for the other to blink, and at the moment, the prospect of either doing so feels pretty simple. well, october was the worst month for the strikes for a decade. 417,000 days of work were lost to disputes, the highest single month since the public sector pay strikes of november 2011, according to figures collected by the office for

national statistics. robert has more details. talk us through then, those statistics and how things compare over the last decade.— statistics and how things compare over the last decade. well, it looks like it is a bad — over the last decade. well, it looks like it is a bad one _ over the last decade. well, it looks like it is a bad one off— over the last decade. well, it looks like it is a bad one off month, i over the last decade. well, it looks like it is a bad one off month, but i like it is a bad one off month, but if you look at a couple of months in a row we are looking at the worst month in almost 30 years. they started to be collected sincejune, and that figure of 1.2 million days lost to strikes since june and that figure of 1.2 million days lost to strikes sincejune is the worst for any set of five months, i think, since about 1990. that blip you see in 2011 was one bad month, a huge number of days lost but there wasn�*t a lot of activity around it. what we�*re seeing now is building levels constantly before we even include the data from november or the strikes we are discussing today that are going on in december, so we are heading for a significant disruption. are heading for a significant disruption-— are heading for a significant disrution. �* ., ., ., disruption. and what about going further back. _ disruption. and what about going further back, the _ disruption. and what about going further back, the winter - disruption. and what about going further back, the winter of i further back, the winter of discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't

come close- _ discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't come close- l _ discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't come close. i think— discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't come close. i think we _ discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't come close. i think we can - discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't come close. i think we can show i discontent in the 1970s? it doesn't i come close. i think we can show the chance to make a chart again and if we look all the way back to the 1970s, nowhere near the winter of discontent. you can barely even see the current levels on the chart. your eyes are drawn to the miners strikes before where the real peaks were, but even the average levels are much lower because the world has changed. the levels of inflation we are seeing now, in the late 70s levels were 25% or even more, so much, much more pressure on standards of living back then. it is a different world. is it one in a century bad customer no. one in 30 years that is plenty bad enough. no. one in 30 years that is plenty bad enough-— no. one in 30 years that is plenty bad enou:h. , ., ., ., bad enough. figures out also on the comparison — bad enough. figures out also on the comparison between _ bad enough. figures out also on the comparison between what _ bad enough. figures out also on the comparison between what is - bad enough. figures out also on the comparison between what is going i bad enough. figures out also on the l comparison between what is going on in the public sector pay versus private sector pay. hat in the public sector pay versus private sector pay.— in the public sector pay versus private sector pay. not good news for anyone — private sector pay. not good news for anyone but— private sector pay. not good news for anyone but even _ private sector pay. not good news for anyone but even worse - private sector pay. not good news for anyone but even worse for- private sector pay. not good news l for anyone but even worse for public sector workers. for anyone but even worse for public sectorworkers. pay for anyone but even worse for public sector workers. pay rises in the private sector are about 7%, which

is near record levels. but when prices are going up at 11%, while your salary is still buying you less. if you�*re working in the big sector, the rise is down closer to 3% and that�*s a massive gap and you will really fill it in the pocket. conrad was saying a few seconds ago, and he said pay is not the only thing driving the widespread unrest we are seeing at the moment. but a pay gap like that is a real hit your pocket and that will drive a lot. thank you, robert. hundreds of people gathered at a vigil overnight for three boys who died after they fell into an icy lake in solihull. the children, aged eight, ten and eleven, were pulled from the water by emergency services on sunday afternoon, but couldn�*t be revived. a fourth boy remains in hospital in critical condition. our correspondent aruna iyengar has the latest. the silence said everything. a tragedy beyond words. in the frozen evening, hundreds came. they laid flowers, lit

candles and said a prayer for the young lives lost. emergency crews were called on sunday afternoon after reports that children had been playing on the ice on babbs mill lake and had fallen through. there was a massive response from the emergency services. one policeman tried to punch through the ice to get the youngsters. the first emergency call came at 2:34pm. an ambulance arrived within seven minutes, shortly after police and firefighters. by the time darkness fell that afternoon, the boys had been pulled out. they had all suffered cardiac arrest, due to the freezing temperature of the water. then on monday, the terrible news that three of the children had died. yesterday, firefighters were applauded as they lay flowers to honour the children. it�*s a very, very close—knit community. we have families that have been here for five generations. everybody knows everybody else.

and everybody i have spoken to — i have spoken to hundreds of people — arejust in an utter state of shock. everyone here wants to make sure the same accident doesn�*t happen again, but, for now, thoughts are with the families of the boys and how to help them. our prayer and our thoughts are for them and we are here to support them as much as we can. and all the other church leaders and the group leaders in the community, we want to get together and maybe come up with a plan to somehow help them, and to be a support for them. the grief is raw in this community. they are holding their loved ones close, mourning the loss of innocent children out playing in the snow. aruna iyengar, bbc news. our correspondent, nick garnett, is at the lake. as we were seeing there, a community really coming together.—

really coming together. absolutely. this has really _ really coming together. absolutely. this has really affected _ really coming together. absolutely. this has really affected them, i really coming together. absolutely. this has really affected them, and i this has really affected them, and continues to affect them. fresh flowers being brought down here, and balloons and toys throughout the morning, by people who just want to show their respect to the boys that have died, and to theirfamilies show their respect to the boys that have died, and to their families as well. meanwhile, down on the lake, about 100 metres to my left, the police search is continuing. a specialist underwater search teams have come down from nottinghamshire police and we have seen officers going into the water wearing red dry suits with air tanks on their backs as well. they have been going out with the police rescue boat and cracking the ice, and also searching underwater. yesterday, the police told us that they had no reports of any missing children, and nobody was missing as such. therefore, they were scaling that search slightly back. but that might have been more to do with temperatures which were freezing cold, and also the fact

that it was getting dark. today, in bright conditions, and believe it or not, slightly warmer than it has been over the last couple of days, they have restarted that search. we don�*t know what four and we are hoping that the police will give more information. the last full update that the police actually gave was 24 hours ago, so there is an expectation that more will be heard from the police soon. they did say about an hour ago that the boy who is critically ill in hospital, a six—year—old, who was pulled from the water on sunday, is still alive and they are monitoring his situation, and hoping that he is strong enough and able to pull through. as i say, no other updates from west midlands police between then and now. find from west midlands police between then and now-— then and now. and in terms of that search at the _ then and now. and in terms of that search at the lake, _ then and now. and in terms of that search at the lake, as _ then and now. and in terms of that search at the lake, as you - then and now. and in terms of that search at the lake, as you said, i then and now. and in terms of that| search at the lake, as you said, the police indicated yesterday that they have had no reports of anyone missing, but they will continue that search for as long as it takes until

they are absolutely sure that there is nothing further to discover. is there any sense as to how long that might go on? ihla there any sense as to how long that might go on?— there any sense as to how long that miaht no on? .,, , ., ., ., might go on? no sense of how long it will no on, might go on? no sense of how long it will go on. but _ might go on? no sense of how long it will go on, but the _ might go on? no sense of how long it will go on, but the fact _ might go on? no sense of how long it will go on, but the fact they - might go on? no sense of how long it will go on, but the fact they have i will go on, but the fact they have brought in fresh teams today from nottinghamshire suggest that it is going to be at least throughout the day. this lake is a man—made reservoir. it is about one kilometre long, as well as being fairly wide. it is about 3.5 kilometres all the way round. therefore, if they are going to go right the length of it, it�*s an awful lot. yesterday they were concentrating their search on one side of the lake, one section of the lake, but if they are going to start to extend out and break the ice, because there is an awful lot of it that is still actually frozen, they will have to break an awful lot of eyes before they can do the searchers of that area. they have brought in specialist cameras underneath the water and also, officers are wading waist deep in the water, going around and feeling with their feet, trying to work out what is on the bottom in case there

is anybody down there that they don�*t know about. as i say, the police so far have no reports of anybody missing.— police so far have no reports of anybody missing. police in the bahamas have arrested sam bankman—fried, founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange ftx. he will appear in a magistrates court in the bahamas today according to the authorities in the caribbean country. police said mr bankman—fried was arrested for "financial offences" against laws in the us and the bahamas. our cyber reporter, joe tidy, has the background. well, sam bankman—fried was seen as a bit of a hero in the cryptocurrency industry — he ran the second biggest cryptocurrency exchange, ftx, and this is a business which allows you to change your dollars or pounds or euros for bitcoin and in theory he also ran a crypto hedge fund on the side. and what happened was about three

or four weeks ago it was revealed the financial stability of these companies was very much in question. sam bankman—fried was doing hand—outs and the company seemed very strong. in fact, the company is more unstable and customers try to pull their money out, and he declared bankruptcy. there are about one many people now who can�*t get access to their cryptocurrency wallets and they are out of pocket, and they are waiting to find out whether or not they are going to get paid back. there are billions of dollars missing, and have been lots of accusations around sam bankman—fried �*s company about a misuse of customer funds. he said he was innocent of any commonality and did admit that he has handled the company very badly and the finances were a mess. he admitted to making huge mistakes and he has said sorry multiple times, but he was commenced he not be arrested and was convinced he not be arrested and was convinced he was innocent of any criminal

wrongdoing. i he was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing-— wrongdoing. i don't think i committed _ wrongdoing. i don't think i committed fraud. - wrongdoing. i don't think i committed fraud. i - wrongdoing. i don't think i committed fraud. i didn't. wrongdoing. i don't think i i committed fraud. i didn't want wrongdoing. i don't think i - committed fraud. i didn't want any of committed fraud. ididn't want any of this— committed fraud. i didn't want any of this to _ committed fraud. i didn't want any of this to happen. i was not as competent as i thought i was. it was a really— competent as i thought i was. it was a really bad — competent as i thought i was. it was a really bad mistake, and it hurt a lot of— a really bad mistake, and it hurt a lot of people. that is only one way or another~ — lot of people. that is only one way or another. at the very least, heavy duty to _ or another. at the very least, heavy duty to do _ or another. at the very least, heavy duty to do right by the users as best— duty to do right by the users as best i_ duty to do right by the users as best i can _ duty to do right by the users as best i can-— duty to do right by the users as best i can. ., ., ., ., ~ best i can. you mean somehow make money and — best i can. you mean somehow make money and pay _ best i can. you mean somehow make money and pay them _ best i can. you mean somehow make money and pay them back? _ best i can. you mean somehow make money and pay them back? i- best i can. you mean somehow make money and pay them back? i would i money and pay them back? i would live money and pay them back? i would give anything _ money and pay them back? i would give anything to — money and pay them back? i would give anything to be _ money and pay them back? i would give anything to be able _ money and pay them back? i would give anything to be able to - money and pay them back? i would give anything to be able to do i money and pay them back? i would give anything to be able to do that. so you _ give anything to be able to do that. so you want to get this clear and you want to start at some sort of new venture and make lots of money to pay back your customers? if i could do that, that would be great. you see _ could do that, that would be great. you see there how confident he was that he would be ok and he would not be arrested. he was convinced that everything would be ok, and off camera and on camera with myself and our producer, he was saying that he

is looking forward to getting all this away, and as you heard there, potentially starting up a whole new company to try to pay back the customers. now it�*s time for a look at the weather. hello. the cold weather is set to continue by day and by night until we get to sunday, when something less cold comes our way from the atlantic. today we have got snow showers pushing south across scotland, and more coming in across the northern isles. and we have got snow increasingly falling to lower levels across the south—west of england and the wind will increase. despite any sunshine, wherever you are it is still going to feel cold. through this evening and overnight, we will see a band of rain, sleet and snow pushing eastward, possibly as far east as west sussex. further snow showers coming in across north—east england and northern scotland, and with the winds are strengthening, some business across the north of scotland. another cold night for all of us with a widespread frost, and the risk of ice. tomorrow, our band of rain,

sleet and snow bridges south, becoming a channel islands feature. further snow across northern scotland with blizzards in the far north, and a few of those wintry showers will reach north west england. once again, cold.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... members of the rail workers�* union the rmt begin fresh industrial action today. they�*re striking on four days this week, meaning a near total shutdown of the uk�*s railway network. the european parliament has voted to remove vice president eva kaili amid a corruption scandal and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials. official figures suggest 417,000 working days were lost to strikes in october, the highest in more than a decade. latest data also shows the unemployment rate rose the european parliament has voted to remove vice president eva kaili

a vigil is held for the three boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in solihull. a fourth boy, who�*s six, remains in a critical condition in hospital. k—pop starjin, the oldest member of the group b t s, begins his mandatory south korean military duty, the first of the band to do so. the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange ftx, sam bankman—fried, is arrested for financial offences in the bahamas. sport centre, here�*s ben. sport now, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here�*s ben. good morning. it�*s barely three weeks old and already we�*re at the semi—final stage of the world cup. it�*s morocco against england�*s conquerers, france, tomorrow, but tonight all eyes will be on croatia and argentina and in particular, two of the game�*s modern greats, lionel messi and luka modric. joe lynskey looks ahead to the game. for one great of the game, the last four will be their last stand.

lionel messi is 35 and luka modric, 37. still, for argentina and croatia, so much depends on them. for argentina, it has been a world cup on a cliff edge. defeat to saudi arabia meant no room for more slip—ups. and messi said it�*s his final chance. but in four games since then, a nation swirled around its star. messi, it had to be! they beat australia 2—1 and then the netherlands on penalties in a heated quarterfinal. now they are two games from the one lionel messi is missing and argentina has waited since the days of diego. diego maradona, the world�*s greatest player, receives the world�*s most important football prize. there has been enormous pressure on lionel messi to be the new diego. after the quarterfinal match, when lionel messi slightly lashed out a little, people are saying it is diego

taking over messi. so all of this is giving us a closer look at what the real messi is like, and he is a different kind of leader from maradona and a very different kind of player. croatia�*s population is half the size of london, yet for two world cups running, they are in the semis. last time at this stage, they beat england and luka modric won the ballon d�*or. this time, it has been hard work. croatia have broken hearts on penalties. inside 90 minutes, they have won just one game, but they have knocked out brazil. and he hasn�*t done it, croatia have yet again! modric has no goals and no assists, but his team have found a way. 16 years on from their first world cup, two stars have a last chance. for the team who lose, there will be one more match too, but neither luka modric nor lionel messi want to play for third place. our reporter alex howell is in doha for us where the day is building

towards that huge game. alex, are either team likely to line up any differently from their semi—finals? to start, to get out the way both of the number tends to have won the ballon d�*or, luka modric and lionel messi will be feared, is another sign will be without their talisman. for argentina, there are a number of changes. the full—backs are suspended, which means it is likely that angel di maria is fit which means he has an option. for croatia, they don�*t have any suspensions or injuries, so they have a full fully fit squad to choose from, which means it is set up for the battle of the number tens to see who can make the number tens to see who can make the world cup final. will it be lionel messi for his first world cup or luka modric will be reaching his

second successive world cup final with croatia? i second successive world cup final with croatia?— with croatia? i can't wait for that one later- _ with croatia? i can't wait for that one later. thank _ with croatia? i can't wait for that one later. thank you _ with croatia? i can't wait for that one later. thank you very - one later. thank you very much for now. pakistan have received a warning from the international cricket council for the flat pitch which produced the high scoring win for england in the first test in rawalpindi. it�*s the venue�*s second demerit point this year, three more would result in the ground losing internationals. and the big bash has got under way in australia this morning. alex hales in action for sydney thunder against melbourne stars. the england t20 world cup winner made 16 as thunder chased 123 in canberra. that�*s all the sport for now. more a little later on. lovely, thank you. education inspectors in england say too many children with special needs are facing delays in being assessed. the annual report from ofsted, which is published today, says that last year, only 60% of education, health and care plans were issued by local authorities within the statutory limit of 20 weeks. here�*s our education correspondent, elaine dunkley.

harry is three and a half. trying to navigate the system to get him the right help for his needs has pushed his mother to the edge. it�*s affected my mental health in a major, major way. he never gets dizzy. it�*s like being on a merry—go—round. you just can�*t get off. you can�*t get a straight answer. it�*s hard. leanne is desperate for harry to get an education and health care plan. without it, he won�*t get a place at a specialist school in the area that takes children from the age of three. everything he needs is in the hands of professionals. his needs are so much more and i cannot meet those. because that is impossible for me to do. and that�*s what�*s hard. he could be in a setting now, but he�*s not. over in liverpool, the brain charity is putting on workshops to help families understand and apply for education and health care plans.

it sets out what the child's special educational needs are, and the provision necessary to meet each and every one of those needs. a lack of educational psychologists, funding and the right support in mainstream schools, and the pandemic is all part of the problem. there are massive pressures. and what that results in on the ground is waits for assessment, waits for provisions to be put in place, often a real battle between the parents and what they believe their child actually needs to thrive, and what is then offered to them. what this means for the generation that are coming through school at the moment is life is going to be that much more difficult for them. this is casey. i like designing and building computers. i do also love engineering and electronics and physics. despite his intelligence, he struggled at primary school. he has autism and dyslexia.

ready, steady, go, highest goes first. his first application for an education and health care grant was rejected. eventually, casey got the support he needed but only after waiting eight months. he was really struggling, getting very anxious and upset, struggling to go into school in the morning and having quite a lot of meltdowns. the change was massive. a few small things were put into place so someone that he could check in and outwith, having someone to run support in english, looking at getting support for the sats. we went from a child who was school—refusing, to a child who wanted me to walk him to school. ofsted says the system needs an overhaul. it's hard getting children assessed and getting them the right services, families are getting frustrated and some are turning to private assessment, schools are picking up the gaps with things like speech therapy out of their own budgets. it's a system which is leaving a lot

of people unsatisfied at the moment. the government has promised improvements to special educational needs in the new year, with £400 million of investment. ofsted says early intervention is crucial, with too many families caught in a system failing them from the start. elaine dunkley, bbc news. let�*s get more now from amanda spielman. she has been ofsted�*s chief inspector since 2017. we saw her there in elaine�*s report. welcome and thank you forjoining us. we heard you saying in that report that the system needs an overhaul. is the system broken, as far as you are concerned? we heard from parents describing how difficult it is to it. it from parents describing how difficult it is to it.— difficult it is to it. it is very easy to — difficult it is to it. it is very easy to find _ difficult it is to it. it is very easy to find very _ difficult it is to it. it is very i easy to find very dissatisfied parents, it really is tough to navigate. we shouldn�*t lose sight of the fact there are children who are getting very good provision, but i think it is widely acknowledged that it is not working as it should. this was acknowledged pre—pandemic, we have had a review that a green paper

has been published, it is very important that progress is now made in getting to the next iteration of the system to make sure we don�*t have this kind of satisfaction, dissatisfaction. haste have this kind of satisfaction, dissatisfaction.— have this kind of satisfaction, dissatisfaction. ~ . ~ ., dissatisfaction. we will talk about - ro . ress dissatisfaction. we will talk about progress in _ dissatisfaction. we will talk about progress in a _ dissatisfaction. we will talk about progress in a moment, _ dissatisfaction. we will talk about progress in a moment, but i dissatisfaction. we will talk about progress in a moment, but in i dissatisfaction. we will talk about l progress in a moment, but in terms of numbers, 1.5 million children currently identified as having special educational needs or disabilities, what proportion of those children would you say are in the groups that are getting the right level of support and which ones are being let down? that is ve hard ones are being let down? that is very hard for— ones are being let down? that is very hard for me _ ones are being let down? that is very hard for me to _ ones are being let down? that is very hard for me to talk- ones are being let down? that is very hard for me to talk about, i very hard for me to talk about, because we don�*t collect statistics. this covers the whole range from children with really quite minor needs and meeting up bit of extra support of one kind or another right through to the children with very high needs, serious clinical needs. we have a treble or quadruple whammy coming out of covid, we had children with problems pre—covid. we had during who weren�*t getting the services they normally would for an

extended period, sometimes there needs have worsened. we had children whose needs arose during covid but there were delays getting the diagnosis they needed. we have some children who would not have catch up needsif children who would not have catch up needs if it were not for covid, whose problem is really only that they have missed a lot of education. and ideally we wouldn�*t be talking about is having special needs at all, because it really is just that they haven�*t yet had the education they haven�*t yet had the education they should have done. alongside that, some services are being slow to come back on stream. the increase in demand is very significant, if there is not the increase in supply to meet those needs. so it really is crunch time. 50 to meet those needs. so it really is crunch time-— crunch time. so you said about rouress crunch time. so you said about progress to — crunch time. so you said about progress to the _ crunch time. so you said about progress to the next _ crunch time. so you said about progress to the next iteration l crunch time. so you said about. progress to the next iteration of the system, how would you envisage that? ., , , the system, how would you envisage that? . , , . ., that? that is very much for government _ that? that is very much for government to _ that? that is very much for government to decide i that? that is very much for government to decide how| that? that is very much for. government to decide how to that? that is very much for- government to decide how to take forward the recommendations, but it is clear that we need betterjoin up. remember, planforspecial educational needs is notjust about

education, it also involves a lot of health services, local authority providing services getting that proper coordination and getting early intervention is crucial. the work that we do in school inspection, for example, really looks very closely at fundamental things like early reading, getting that right from the beginning can prevent a significant slice of special needs from ever arising. so that preventing peace often does not get enough attention but is a critical part of the system. we had in the report _ critical part of the system. we had in the report about _ critical part of the system. we had in the report about the _ critical part of the system. we had in the report about the mother- critical part of the system. we had in the report about the mother of. critical part of the system. we had | in the report about the mother of a three—year—old was talking about the difficulties that she has had and said it has affected her own mental health, trying to get an assessment for her child. what advice would you give to somebody out there who is currently in this situation of really struggling to get the support child needs? it is really struggling to get the support child needs?— child needs? it is a tremendously hard listening _ child needs? it is a tremendously hard listening to _ child needs? it is a tremendously hard listening to people - child needs? it is a tremendously hard listening to people like i child needs? it is a tremendously} hard listening to people like that. life is clearly so difficult, is one of the things that comes across in everything related to children with

special needs is the extreme pressure it puts on families. i think persistence, getting clarity, that advice about what your child is entitled to receive and are just not giving up until you get there. i'm afraid i haven't got more advice i can give than that, but it is so important. also the working closely with schools, schools almost invariably are doing their very best to line up to help that parents need. 50 trying to avoid getting into conflict with schools, i know it can some times be hard, but the more people can work together, the easier it is to get to watch the children at the centre actually need. �* . . children at the centre actually need. �* ., i, ., need. amanda spielman, chief ins - ector need. amanda spielman, chief insnector at — need. amanda spielman, chief inspector at ofsted, _ need. amanda spielman, chief inspector at ofsted, thank - need. amanda spielman, chief| inspector at ofsted, thank you. the european parliament has voted to remove one of it vice presidents amid a corruption scandal and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials.

the woman at the centre of the allegations, greek mep eva kaili, has denied any wrong—doing. our brussels correspondent jessica parkerjoins me now. it was a pretty resounding vote to remove her, wasn't it? 625 in favour, one against and two abstentions.— favour, one against and two abstentions. , ., ~ i, abstentions. yes, and i think that is not surprising. _ abstentions. yes, and i think that is not surprising. the _ abstentions. yes, and i think that is not surprising. the european i is not surprising. the european parliament is extremely eager to try and show that it is taking a tough line amid these allegations. people might remember it was on friday, belgian prosecutors revealed they had been carrying out a months long investigation into what they say is basically a gulf state, they didn't name of qatar, allegedly using cash and gifts to try and influence here in the european parliament. qatar has denied this, as you say, ten won the greek mep arrested and is due with three others to appear in court tomorrow. a lawyer for her family has protested her innocence. but for people here, i think they want to

show that they are taking action, they are removing her as a vice president. what does that actually achieve? well, it may be seen as a largely symbolic move at the moment, but broadly there is discussion about what the european parliament can do to tackle corruption. the european parliament present last night was essentially wanted to take action in terms of lobbying, tightening up the rules whether about the transparency of her meps might meet. but the fear of course speaking to people here is where will this investigation actually need? one mep i spoke to earlier said he feared it could spread beyond the european parliament to other eu institutions. it is worth saying of course it is not a surprise to a lot of people that foreign countries may trying to influence what goes on in this place at the other parts of the eu. but the nature of the allegations that have come out from a belgian prosecutors, the bagful is of cash, the suitcase filled with several hundred thousand euros, that is

really leaving jaws on the floor. in terms of the eu parliament tackling corruption, other concerns that this may just corruption, other concerns that this mayjust be the start of what might be revealed? we mayjust be the start of what might be revealed?— mayjust be the start of what might be revealed? we don't know, and of course this — be revealed? we don't know, and of course this is _ be revealed? we don't know, and of course this is an _ be revealed? we don't know, and of course this is an investigation - course this is an investigation which is being carried out by belgian authorities and there have been searches in italy as well. italian nationals will actually appear in court tomorrow. i think the european parliament wanting to try and get its house in order and examine how things work in terms of who meps meet, whether they have to declare it, making sure that the rules are consistent. i think there is certainly an element of trying to mitigate some reputational damage here. these meps are publicly elected officials, they are paid for with taxpayers' money. and ursula von der leyen, the eu commission president yesterday conceded that public confidence and trust is at stake here. as i mentioned before,

qatar currently hosting the closing stages of the world cup. they have denied any misconduct. but certainly the story has broken at an awkward time for that country.— ukraine's health system is facing its darkest days in the war thus far. that's the warning from the world health organization, after russia targeted the country's infrastructure, leaving millions of people without electricity, heating or water. our ukraine correspondent, hugo bachega, has sent this update. there is a lot of concern these attacks could lead to a humanitarian crisis. for weeks, we've seen that russia has been attacking this country's energy infrastructure, and millions of people are facing difficult conditions without electricity, heating and without power. it is snowing in kyiv, temperatures are below freezing and in other parts of the country. this is a country where temperatures can drop to —15,

—20 degrees celsius. there is a lot of concern that these attacks and these temperatures could lead to a humanitarian crisis. this is what the health minister had to say. translation: that's right, - the ukrainian health care system is facing a new challenge as a result of the full—scale russian invasion of ukraine. since the beginning of the war, we have suffered as russia shelled civilians indiscriminately and attacked hospitals. already more than 1,100 health care facilities have been damaged and 144 completely destroyed. and now, on top of that, we face attacks on our energy infrastructure. are you concerned that this country may face a humanitarian crisis if these attacks don't stop? the risks are always high.

we have to prepare for the worse situations. this is what we do. i ask our international partners to support our hospitals with generators, with heating systems, so that hospitals can continue to function in the event of a blackout. what is the advice you are giving to hospitals across the country? first of all, we want them to prepare for the possibility of power outages, no heating. there could be no water supply and no functioning sewage system. we have developed different plans for these scenarios. we have already told hospitals to limit the number of patients admitted for planned treatments and surgery. we are prioritising emergencies, trauma injuries, anything related to the war. we understand the consequences.

we understand that the war will have an indirect impact on the health of ukrainians which may not be noticeable right now. so, that is the ukrainian health minister. the authorities here have been saying they need help from their international partners, and countries have been sending generators so hospitals and essential services can keep operating. yesterday, us officials said they had sent the first part of power equipment to ukraine, this is help worth $13 million to continue to help the ukrainians as the electricity infrastructure comes under attack. breaking news, we are hearing that the conservative mp adam freer has been made bankrupt after a judge in a specialist court heard how he owed

around £i.7 a specialist court heard how he owed around £1.7 billion of that he is the mp representing winter and was elected in 2005. he had already said in the summer that he is going to stand down as an mp at the next general election. there has been an online hearing in the insolvency companies court today where he has been made bankrupt. official figures show 417,000 working days were lost to strikes in october, making it the month most affected by industrial action in more than a decade. today's data from the office for national statistics also reveals the unemployment rate has risen to 3.7% in the three months leading to october. i'm joined now by emma summers, founder and ceo ofjuice recruitment, which specialises in finding employment for candidates in bath and the south—west area. welcome. what are you seeing in terms of the trends and themes? i think if you look at recruitment and

employment, it really is a barometer of the economy. it really does show, i think, confident in the economy at the moment. i think if you look at here with regards to employment and recruitment, what we found is that permanent recruitment is high in the first five months of the year, and that was because there was in such a skill shortage so people were securing talent when they found it and taking people on permanently. what we have noticed in the last three months is that has changed. i think it is confidence in the market with regards to a recession potentially looming. i think people are now looking at recruiting temporary people to give them more of a flexible option. 50 a temporary people to give them more of a flexible option.— of a flexible option. so a more uncertain _ of a flexible option. so a more uncertain jobs _ of a flexible option. so a more uncertain jobs market - of a flexible option. so a more uncertain jobs market for - of a flexible option. so a more i uncertain jobs market for anyone choosing uncertainjobs market for anyone choosing to go back into it if they have left or are looking for a job. there are indications that the over—sos, who have been talked about a lot as having decided to opt out of the jobs market, a lot as having decided to opt out of thejobs market, are now deciding to go back in because of what is

going on with cost of living difficulties. i going on with cost of living difficulties.— difficulties. i think if you actually _ difficulties. i think if you actually look _ difficulties. i think if you actually look at - difficulties. i think if you - actually look at employment in difficulties. i think if you _ actually look at employment in the uk and you look at the talent pool that we had prior to the pandemic and the talent pool and now, for a number of reasons, it shrunk enormously. brexit, you are looking at basically the 630,000 people who are working prior to the pandemic were not working. you have a shrinking talent pool and i think it is great that you are looking at people between 50—60 coming back into the market and hopefully boost the economy. 50 into the market and hopefully boost the economy-— into the market and hopefully boost the economy. so which are the areas where they will _ the economy. so which are the areas where they will be _ the economy. so which are the areas where they will be able _ the economy. so which are the areas where they will be able to _ the economy. so which are the areas where they will be able to find - where they will be able to find jobs most easily? i where they will be able to find 'obs most easily?— most easily? i think in all sectors, reall . i most easily? i think in all sectors, really- i think _ most easily? i think in all sectors, really. i think if _ most easily? i think in all sectors, really. i think if you _ most easily? i think in all sectors, really. i think if you look - most easily? i think in all sectors, really. i think if you look at - most easily? i think in all sectors, really. i think if you look at the . really. i think if you look at the sector as when people have specialisms, that is so valuable to businesses and i think there needs to be an element of flexibility from the business's point of view, because i think is what you will find is that people might want to work a couple of days, certain

hours, so they will need to be elements of flexibility from an employer's point of view, but i feel it will hopefully allow that talent pool to grow and allow people to be able to recruit again.— able to recruit again. thank you very much _ able to recruit again. thank you very much for— able to recruit again. thank you very much forjoining _ able to recruit again. thank you very much forjoining us, - able to recruit again. thank you | very much forjoining us, emma, founder ofjuice recruitment. the eldest member of the south korean boyband, bts, is starting his mandatory military duty on tuesday. jin is the first member to enlist since the group took a break from performing. they say they'll re—form in several years' time now it's time for a look at the weather. hello again. for many of us, it was a bitterly cold start to the day today and the cold theme will continue tonight until we get to sunday.

you can see the blues bathing the british isles, before we start to pull in more of an atlantic influence on sunday. so, the change in temperature is represented by the yellows, to something less cold. today, we have snow showers pushing south across scotland, another batch coming in with strengthening winds across the northern isles. and in the south—west, the snow level will drop down to lower levels. for the rest of the uk, we are looking at variable amounts of cloud and sunshine, hazy in the south—east, and those are the temperatures, so feeling cold wherever you are. this evening and overnight, this band of rain, sleet and snow pushes further east, possibly getting as far east as west sussex. further snow showers coming in across northern scotland with strengthening winds, we're looking at blizzards here. and snow showers coming inland across the north—east of england. of ice on untreated surfaces. that risk continues over the next few days as well, but we are looking for midweek

onwards at cold northerly winds. but we will have improving visibility, we will lose the freezing fog, and there will still be wintry showers, most of which will be in scotland. on wednesday, further wintry showers coming in for scotland, with gales, even severe gales, blizzards. at times, snow showers coming in off the north sea. and the rain, sleet and snow in the south will be pushing towards the channel islands. but there will be a lot of dry weather and sunshine, although it will still feel cold wherever you are. another cold and frosty start on thursday with the risk of ice, but a lot of dry weather and sunshine around. but still these wintry showers across the north and the west. and it will still feel cold. moving towards the end of the week, you will notice a change in temperatures, so still cold during friday and saturday. sunday, the temperature goes up. some of us seeing some rain, but there is a chance of snow

on sunday as well. and you can check if that is happening where you are on our bbc weather app.

this is bbc news. the headlines at midday... members of the rail workers' union the rmt begin fresh industrial action today — they're striking on four days this week, meaning a near total shutdown of the uk's railway network. rishi sunak is expected to make a statement in the commons soon to announce plans to help clear the soaring backlog of asylum claims. the european parliament is voting on whether to remove its vice president eva kaili amid a corruption scandal and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials. a vigil is held for the three boys who died after falling into a frozen lake n solihull. a fourth boy, who's six, remains in a critical condition in hospital. k—pop starjin, the oldest member of the group b t s, begins his mandatory south korean military duty — the first of the band to do so.

the founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange ftx, sam bankman—fried, is arrested for �*financial offences' in the bahamas. here in the uk, a fresh wave of strike action that's expected to cause major disruption to key services in the run—up to christmas has begun this morning. around 40,000 rail workers who are members of the rmt union are taking part in the first of two 48—hour stoppages as part of a long—running dispute aboutjobs, pay and conditions. only about 20% of the country's normal rail service is expected to run — that means four out of every five trains will be cancelled. many parts of britain, including

most of scotland and wales, will have no trains at all. and, there are unlikely to be any trains running anywhere this evening. network rail has warned that trains that are running are likely to be very busy and its urging passengers to travel only if absolutely necessary. our transport correspondent, katy austin has the details. at york's christmas market, festive cheer is in good supply. but for people hoping to get here by train, more travel misery is in store. local hotels worry strikes have put some visitors off. they've had individual bookings cancelled, conferences, meetings cancelled. this happening just in the week before christmas, this obviously is going to hurt because everybody is trying to bolster their bank balance in order to deal with the first quarter of next year. on strike days this week — that's today, tomorrow, friday and saturday —

only about 20% of britain's usual train services will run. and trains will start later and finish much earlier than they normally do. there will also be some knock—on disruption on thursday and sunday mornings. rail workers in the rmt have already walked out on eight days this year in a dispute the union says is over pay, protectingjobs and working conditions. passengers now face four weeks of disruption. there are two 48—hour train strikes this week, an overtime ban at 1a rail companies from sunday is expected to cause some cancellations, and a strike at network rail will see services finish even earlier than usual on christmas eve and start late on the 27th. and more national walk—outs are planned injanuary. the rail industry says changes to working practices are needed to fund higher pay. rmt members have now voted to reject what network rail called its best and final offer. the union called it substandard.

and rmt leaders have already turned down an offer from the train operating companies group and blamed the government for insisting on conditions it said were not acceptable. we wa nt we wantan we want an end to the strikes. they will damage the railway and damage worker security. there will be no compulsory redundancies for the workforce. they will be a generous pay rise for them. the modernisation approach has been accepted by some unions and our message to the rmt is come on board. the unions and our message to the rmt is come on board-— come on board. the new year is cominu come on board. the new year is coming swiftly _ come on board. the new year is coming swiftly into _ come on board. the new year is coming swiftly into view, - come on board. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but i come on board. the new year is coming swiftly into view, but an come on board. the new year is - coming swiftly into view, but an end to disruption is not. earlier, i spoke to conrad landin — who is the co—editor of new internationalist, a left—wing magazine and is a rail passenger. i began by speaking to him about the fact that his own plans had been scuppered by rail strikes. well, obviously it is not ideal, but we will cope.

i think people across the country, everyone, apart from people at the very top, a feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis, and what we are seeing here is a group of workers standing together and saying that they are not prepared to take real terms cuts to their pay, and also cuts to their terms and conditions and a threat to their job security. i think that is something that should be applauded. as you say, lots of people in very difficult financial circumstances right now. and being disrupted by the action here. do you expect there will be many people who don't have sympathy for the decision to take this strike action in the run—up to christmas? well, i think everyone wants to be able to get to work without disruption, but when they get to work, they want to be able to work for a decent wage and without having to work unsocial hours

with no extra benefits. and also, they don't want to see theirjobs threatened. i think that is why we are seeing so many different groups of workers, notjust in the public sector, but in the private sector as well, here in glasgow we have seen coffin makers going on strike. i think a lot of people are realising that the best way to stand up against this cost of living crisis is by taking action collectively. with the rail workers, it is a mixed picture, in that it brings in pay, and it also brings injob cuts. 1850 job cuts in prospect for network rail and they say they have already had more than that number coming forward asking for voluntary redundancy to take those cuts, and if that is agreed, it can pave the way potentially for savings to be used to fund pay increases.

well, i think there is obviously a difference as well between how the strikes have been dealt with by the uk government and by the scottish government. obviously, the headline pay increases in scotland have not been particularly different to those offered in britain, but there has not been at the same inflammatory rhetoric here, and there has not been the same threat to terms and conditions and to job security. so i think, if those things were taken off the table by the uk governments, if they said they were prepared to negotiate on those things and not impose cuts to terms and conditions, not impose redundancies at this point, when so many people are worried about their ability to pay their mortgages, to pay their rent, to be able to afford christmas presents for their children, i think that could take some of the heat out of this dispute,

and help towards getting a negotiated settlement. the prime minister is expected to announce plans to fast—track the removal of albanian migrants as he faces pressure to clear the soaring backlog of asylum claims. our political correspondent nick eardleyjoins us now from westminster with more. what are we expecting from rishi sunak? yes, the prime minister is going to make a statement at 12:30pm in the commons, which the government is calling "tackling illegal immigration". there has been a lot of stick a nation in the papers this morning about what exactly that might involve. number ten are being tight—tipped about this this morning, not wanting to give much away. there has been a lot of focus in the last few weeks in the government of trying to find ways of tackling the

asylum backlog, but also to deter what the government sees as illegal migrants coming to the uk, and i think we can expect to hear a bit about that from the prime minister in 20 minutes, orso. whati about that from the prime minister in 20 minutes, or so. what i am about that from the prime minister in 20 minutes, orso. what i am not sure is that this is going to be a magic wand and the government says, we have come up with an answer, this is going to solve all the problems. i would assume that actually, this is more of an update from the government about what exactly it's thinking is, and what some of the things it has been working on our. interesting that the prime minister is doing it, not the home secretary, suella braverman. it does fall in her department. i think in part that is because the prime minister has made this a bit of a priority for himself. he talks about it quite a lot. he has said in a lot of interviews that his biggest priority is going to be on the economy and the cost of living, but his second

priority is tackling immigration —— illegal immigration. so we are about to get a bit more thinking from the government about what exactly they are going to do to try to bring down the asylum backlog. after all the well—documented problems in places like mansfield over the last few months, and all the mac with the growing number of applications that still need to be processed, a lot of pressure on the government actually to come up with some answers, particularly from tory mps, many of whom are really uncomfortable with the fact the government has not managed to get a grip on this over the past couple of years. find managed to get a grip on this over the past couple of years.— the past couple of years. and 'ust remind us of fl the past couple of years. and 'ust remind us of the i the past couple of years. and 'ust remind us of the facts * the past couple of years. and 'ust remind us of the facts and h the past couple of years. and just remind us of the facts and figures around this, the numbers coming in and the size of the backlog. iinuieii. and the size of the backlog. well, it is huge- — and the size of the backlog. well, it is huge. when _ and the size of the backlog. well, it is huge. when you _ and the size of the backlog. well, it is huge. when you look- and the size of the backlog. well, it is huge. when you look at - and the size of the backlog. well, it is huge. when you look at the l it is huge. when you look at the small boats issue, boats crossing the channel, typically from northern france, we have seen record numbers this year already of people coming in to the uk that way, and that in particular has proved to be a real

headache for the government. we have got the reminder scheme, which is working its way through the courts at the moment. we have got a lot of talking government about whether to amend the human rights act to make sure it is easier to remove asylum seekers from the uk, and in particular to deport failed asylum seekers from the uk. there has been a lot of frustration in government that some feel the human trafficking angle to this has been exploited by some people use that as a reason stay in the uk for longer and i think we are starting to see some changes to that. there is a written ministerial statement on the policy scheduled so let's see what that comes up with, but the government knows it is going to bejudged on this at the next election as well. remember that every manifesto the conservative party says it is going

to tackle the issue of small boats and illegal immigration to try to bring down net migration as well, and although the targets are not in the region that previous leaders have promised, it does feel a big issue, particular in the heartlands of the south—east of england. there is a lot of pressure on the prime minister to actually come up with some concrete answers on this, not to say it is an issue that we care about and we are trying to solve and that we are coming up with ideas on or challenging some of the legal rulings on this, but actually to prove to some of his own mps and to some of his voters that he can get a grip on it. i think that will be the bar by which he isjudged at grip on it. i think that will be the bar by which he is judged at the next election. it is probably the bar at which his mps willjudge him this afternoon when he makes that statement to the commons and of course remember another side of the debate is a lot of people saying that this government is not not

compassionate in its approach. you said that suella braverman would be her domain but rishi sunak is taking it because it is an area he cares about a lot. but how does it reflect on her? i about a lot. but how does it reflect on her? ~ ., , about a lot. but how does it reflect on her? ~ . , , ., on her? i think the answer is not articular on her? i think the answer is not particular well. _ on her? i think the answer is not particular well. she _ on her? i think the answer is not particular well. she is _ on her? i think the answer is not particular well. she is not - on her? i think the answer is not| particular well. she is not making this statement, and is not the one out in front of the cameras telling us of a big plan to bring down "illegal immigration" as a garment calls it, over the next few months. she has been kept in the background a bit since some of the scandal emerged when she was reappointed to thejob. a lot emerged when she was reappointed to the job. a lot of criticism of that from opposition parties, from some tory mps as well, who are uncomfortable that she was effectively sacked by liz truss and then brought back a couple of weeks later by rishi sunak, despite having broken the ministerial code. let's see if she is in the commons, let's

see if she is in the commons, let's see if she does add to some of the specifics on policy on this over the next few hours. there are going to be two ways of looking at it. the government will tell us, i'm sure, that the prime minister wants to talk on this policy because it is one of his policy priorities. i suspect some of the opposition parties will question why we are not hearing from the home secretary a bit more, and they will suggest that it is because the government does not particularly want her to be out in public. not particularly want her to be out in ublic. ., ., ., . �* �* in public. you are watching bbc news. the european parliament has voted to remove one of it vice presidents amid a corruption scandal and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials. the woman at the centre of the allegations, greek mep eva kaili, has denied any wrong—doing. jessica parker gave us this update. the european parliament is extremely eager to try and show that it is

taking a tough line amid these allegations. it was on friday, belgian prosecutors revealed they have been carrying out a months long investigation into what they say is basically a gulf state. they did not name qatar. allegedly using cash and gifts to try to influence things here in the european parliament. qatar has denied this and eva kaili is due to appear in court with three others and a lawyer for her family has protested her innocence. at the people here, i think they want to show that they are taking action, they are removing her as a vice president. what does that actually achieve? well, it might be seen as a largely symbolic move at the moment and more broadly there is discussion about what the european parliament can do to tackle corruption. the european parliament president last night was sent last night that she really wanted to take action on that, and in terms of lobbying and tightening up the rules there, whether that is about the

transparency of who meps might meet, but the fear is, speaking to people here, where will this investigation actually lead? when i spoke to earlier said he feared it could spread beyond the european parliament to other eu institutions. it is worth saying, of course, it is not a surprise to a lot of people that foreign countries may try to influence what goes on in this place, and in other parts of the eu, but the nature of the allegations that have come out from belgian prosecutors, the bagful is of cash, the suitcase filled with several hundred thousand euros, that's really left some jaws on the floor. so in terms of the eu parliament tackling corruption, other concerns that this mayjust be the start of what might be revealed? we don't know, and what might be revealed? we don't know. and of— what might be revealed? we don't know, and of course _ what might be revealed? we don't know, and of course this _ what might be revealed? we don't know, and of course this is - what might be revealed? we don't know, and of course this is an - know, and of course this is an investigation that is being carried out by belgian authorities and there have been some searches in italy as well, italian nationals amongst those who will appear in court

tomorrow. but i think the european parliament is wanting to try to get its house in order and examine how things work in terms of who meps meet, whether they have to declare it, making sure that the rules are more consistent. but i think there is certainly an element of trying to mitigate some reputational damage here. these members of the european parliament are publicly elected officials. they are paid for with taxpayers money, and the european commission president yesterday conceded that public confidence, public trust, is at stake here. as i mentioned before, qatar currently of course hosting the closing stages of the world cup, they have denied any misconduct, but certainly this story has broken at an awkward time for that country. jessica parker. an update on our headlines bbc news. members of the rmt begin fresh industrial action today. it is a near total shutdown of the railway network over this

week. rishi sunak is expected to make a statement on the common soon to announce plans to help clear the soaring backlog of asylum claims. the european parliament has voted to reprove the greek mep eva kaili from her role as vice president amid a corruption scandal, and allegations that qatar bribed eu officials. sport now, let's get a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. it's the first semi—final at the world cup this evening. argentina against croatia. lionel messi will be hoping to make it to a second final and this time go one better than the runners—up medal he recieved eight years ago. the 35—year—old knows that winning a world cup would go a long way to cementing his legend as one of the greatest players of all time. i'm not convinced of this idea of unsporting behaviour, he said. croatia will be more

than happy to spoil the party, as they did for brazil — winning their quarter—final on penalties. croatia have their own legend in 37—year—old luka modric. they were finalists four years ago, and for a country of only four million people, they regularly produce impressive results against the so called bigger football nations, including england who they knocked out in moscow four years ago. bournemouth have new owners. the club have been taken over by the black knight football club, formed by a number of investors, some of whom also invest in the vegas gold night ice hockey team. it follows 11 years under the previous manager who helped them to the top division for the first time. coventry city have agreed a deal with mike ashley's 'frasers group�* to stay at their stadium for the remainder of the season. the club had been served notice after ashley's company bought the stadium out of administration. but, after negotiating revised terms the team will play the rest of this championship season at the ground. pakistan have received a warning from the international cricket council for the flat pitch which produced the high scoring win for england in the first test in rawalpindi.

it's the venue's second de—merit point this year, three more would result in the ground losing internationals. and the big bash has got underway in australia this morning. alex hales in action for sydney thunder against melbourne stars. the england t20 world cup winner made 16 as thunder chased/failed to chase 123 in canberra. that's all the sport for now. thank you, see you then. new figures show more than 400,000 working days were lost to strikes in october. it is the highest number in 11 years. the office for national statistics also said wage growth between august and october was much faster in the private sector than in the public sector. they said overall, and taking into account inflation, pay fell by 2.7%. lets talk more about this with jeff tiley, the fell by 2.7%. lets talk more about this withjeff tiley, the senior economy at the trade union congress. welcome and thank you forjoining us.

as you say, we have significant industrial unrest but we have a significant and severe pay crisis across the whole economy. the ons figures today confirmed that another steep decline in real pay, that is pay adjusted for inflation. our own analysis this week pointed out that over 2022 as a whole, real pay is going to be falling by 3%, probably the worst yearfor going to be falling by 3%, probably the worst year for real pay for 50 years, and this is a very tough year for workers. years, and this is a very tough year forworkers. it years, and this is a very tough year for workers. it is a tough year for workers on the back of a 14 year real pay crisis, so it is kind of heaping extra challenges on top of a very long—standing challenge, and then on top of all of this we have then on top of all of this we have the strength of a —— the threat of a recession and the possibility of the loss of up to 1 million jobs. this is a very tough time for workers and the economy. this

is a very tough time for workers and the economy-— the economy. as you say, a very touch the economy. as you say, a very tough time, — the economy. as you say, a very tough time, and _ the economy. as you say, a very tough time, and people - the economy. as you say, a very l tough time, and people effectively taking real terms pay cuts. but in terms of the direction for pay as far as you are concerned, what do you think it should be a question of the bank of england, obviously, makes the point that in order to get that inflation back under control, and the latest figure is 11.1%, wages must not rise by anything like that amount. i wages must not rise by anything like that amount-— wages must not rise by anything like that amount. i mean, we have made the oint that amount. i mean, we have made the point repeatedly _ that amount. i mean, we have made the point repeatedly that _ that amount. i mean, we have made the point repeatedly that inflation i the point repeatedly that inflation is not rising because of pay. inflation is rising because of food prices, because of commodity prices, and these are all factors beyond the control of workers. increasingly as well, it is less the threat of inflation, and more the threat of recession. we had gdp figures yesterday showing a quarterly decline in the economy of 0.3%, and the forecasters, the office of

budget response of lizzie and bank of england expect us to be in recession next year. so we firmly believe we have to keep money in workers pockets so they can keep spending in shops so they can protect the economy.- protect the economy. taking obviously — protect the economy. taking obviously the _ protect the economy. taking obviously the very _ protect the economy. taking obviously the very real - protect the economy. taking obviously the very real pain | protect the economy. taking i obviously the very real pain out protect the economy. taking - obviously the very real pain out of it and looking at it purely as an economic argument, if that is possible, obviously you rightly say that inflation is not because of pay going up, it is because of commodity prices, but in order to try to stop stoking further inflation people have to make difficult choices about where they are spending their money. i don't think that is if you are in general. i think the view in general is that the danger comes from too little pay, from too little spending power in the economy. especially given the threat of recession ahead. part of the strategy for protecting the economy is the same as a

strategy for doing right by workers. we need to get more money into peoples pocket so they can keep the economy turning over. so you are saying it is that thing of looking at obviously the multi—challenges that they currently are and it is difficult, and it is the slowing growth, the recession, people does not having the money in their pockets?— their pockets? exactly, but i did think we should _ their pockets? exactly, but i did think we should be _ their pockets? exactly, but i did think we should be defeatist - their pockets? exactly, but i did i think we should be defeatist about this. everybody, a lot of institutions are predicting a recession, but there are ways to protect against it. there are other ways to fund public sector pay rises. the government could make different choices on taxation. the government has made its choice is quite clear, you know and it is still planning to release the bonus for bankers, and there are plenty of other choices and other ways that

you can pay for higher public sector pgy- you can pay for higher public sector pay. as i say more generally, the point is that public sector workers, workers across the economy, need more pay to keep the economy going. many thanks. education watchdog ofsted says too many children with special needs are facing delays in being assessed. the annual report — which is published today — will say that, last year, only 60 % of education, health and care plans were issued by local authorities within the statutory limit of 20 weeks. those plans are vital for children with special needs to decide what support they will receive. julie mcculloch is the director of policy at the association of school and college leaders. welcome. what is going wrong with the system, in your perspective? 50. the system, in your perspective? so, i think what — the system, in your perspective? in, i think what this report the system, in your perspective? so, i think what this report flags up is some ongoing challenges, problems in

the education system, and particularly how we support children with special educational needs and disabilities, which has only been exacerbated by the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and the challenges to school and local authority funding. what we are seeing is that there are more children being identified as having special educational needs and disabilities for a variety of reasons. there is a backlog because of the pandemic. the local authorities are trying to deal with this, and as a result, being able to provide those children that have often quite significant needs with the support they need has become more and more difficult, and that is having a huge impact on those particular vulnerable children. share particular vulnerable children. are the bein: particular vulnerable children. are they being let down? i mean, what impact is this going to have not just on them in the short term, but in the longer term? it is just on them in the short term, but in the longer term?— in the longer term? it is having a hue in the longer term? it is having a huge impact- _ in the longer term? it is having a huge impact. you _ in the longer term? it is having a huge impact. you know, - in the longer term? it is having a huge impact. you know, when i in the longer term? it is having a | huge impact. you know, when we in the longer term? it is having a - huge impact. you know, when we look at some of the challenges that those children have, some have a very profound learning disabilities. others have issues that have become

much worse because of the pandemic. we are seeing a real crisis in mental health and in social issues with young people. what they need is schools to be properly funded and resourced so that they can provide the teaching and the support they needin the teaching and the support they need in school, but we also need the wider children's services at those children need to be properly funded, and what we are hearing from our members who are all people leading schools and colleges around the uk, we are hearing from them that they are trying to refer children with particular needs to that specialist support that they need it, but the system isjust support that they need it, but the system is just falling support that they need it, but the system isjust falling over. huge, huge delays in getting the support that children need in order to function at school, and to function in society. thank you. hundreds of people gathered at a vigil overnight for three boys who died after they fell into an icy lake in solihull. the children, aged eight, ten and eleven,

were pulled from the water by emergency services on sunday afternoon, but couldn't be revived. a fourth boy remains in hospital in critical condition. this report by aruna iyengar. the silence had everything. a tragedy beyond words. in the frozen evening, hundreds came. they lit candles and laid flowers and said a prayerfor candles and laid flowers and said a prayer for the candles and laid flowers and said a prayerfor the young candles and laid flowers and said a prayer for the young lives lost. emergency crews were called on sunday afternoon after reports that children had been playing on the ice on babbs mill lake, and had fallen through. there was a massive response from the emergency services. one policeman tried to punch through the eyes to get to the youngsters. the first emergency call came at 2:34pm. an ambulance arrived within seven minutes. shortly after, police and firefighters. by the time darkness fell that afternoon, the boys had been pulled out. they had

all suffered cardiac arrest due to the freezing temperature of the water. on monday, the terrible news that three of the children had died. yesterday, firefighters were applauded as they lay flowers to on the children. it is applauded as they lay flowers to on the children-— the children. it is a very, very close knit— the children. it is a very, very close knit community. - the children. it is a very, very close knit community. we - the children. it is a very, very i close knit community. we have the children. it is a very, very - close knit community. we have got families that have been here for five generations. everybody knows everybody else. everybody i have spoken to, and i have spoken to hundreds of people, are just in an utter state of shock. everyone here wants to make sure the same accident doesn't happen again, but for now, thoughts are with the families of the boys, and how to help them. families of the boys, and how to help them-— families of the boys, and how to hel them. , , ., ., , help them. our prayers and thoughts are for them. — help them. our prayers and thoughts are for them, and _ help them. our prayers and thoughts are for them, and we _ help them. our prayers and thoughts are for them, and we are _ help them. our prayers and thoughts are for them, and we are here - help them. our prayers and thoughts are for them, and we are here to - are for them, and we are here to support— are for them, and we are here to support them as much as we can, and all the _ support them as much as we can, and all the other_ support them as much as we can, and all the other church leaders in the community, we want to get together and may— community, we want to get together and may be — community, we want to get together and may be come up with a plan to somehow— and may be come up with a plan to somehow help them, and to be a support— somehow help them, and to be a support for— somehow help them, and to be a support for them. the _ support for them.

the grief is raw in this community. they are holding their loved ones close, mourning the loss of innocent children out of playing in the snow. let's ta ke let's take you to the house of commons, where we are expecting to hear from the commons, where we are expecting to hearfrom the prime minister at rishi sunak shortly. he will be announcing plans to deal with the backlog of nearly 150,000 people claiming asylum in this country, by fast tracking the removal of albanian migrants, and also expanding the amount of money available for people working on those cases. we will be hearing from rishi sunak shortly, and we will be back to the commons as soon as he starts to speak. rail passengers facing a lot of disruption. members of the rmt, the uk's largest rail union are on the

picket line for the first of four days of walk—outs this week. let's go to our reporter in derby. what impact is this having? derby at the centre of the country's rail network, but trains are still running here today, although it is a vastly reduced service. east midlands railway is able to run one train per hour north to sheffield or south to london st pancras. services are not running however east of nottingham, is a large parts of nottinghamshire and lincolnshire are affected today. perhaps the biggest problem facing commuters is that most last trains to run today are actually going to be leaving as early as 3:30pm for 30 pm, so the advice from the rail operator here is to check before you travel —— for 30 pm. check before you travel to make sure you can get home. there was an rmt picket line here this morning after the latest

pay offer was rejected last night. the rmt describing it as a sub standard. the department for transport are saying it was fair and improved. that was a 9% offer over two years. but the rmt midlands rep told me... , ., , told me... sorry to interrupt you, but we are _ told me... sorry to interrupt you, but we are going _ told me... sorry to interrupt you, but we are going to _ told me... sorry to interrupt you, but we are going to the _ told me... sorry to interrupt you, j but we are going to the commons told me... sorry to interrupt you, - but we are going to the commons and rishi sunak. �* ., , ., but we are going to the commons and rishi sunak-— rishi sunak. before i start, another whole house _ rishi sunak. before i start, another whole house will _ rishi sunak. before i start, another whole house will want _ rishi sunak. before i start, another whole house will want to _ rishi sunak. before i start, another whole house will want to join - rishi sunak. before i start, another whole house will want to join in - whole house will want to join in expressing our sympathies to the families of those who lost their children in solihull. with your permission, i would like to make a statement on illegal migration. i hope the whole house would agree that there is a complex moral dimension to illegal migration, the balancing of our duty to support people in dire need with the responsibility to have genuine control over our borders, and are stunningly it provokes strong feelings. so it is my view that the basis for any solution should not

just be what works but what is right. the simplest moral framing for this issue, one i believe members on all sides of this house believe in, is fairness. mr speaker, it is unfair that people come here illegally. it is unfair on those with a genuine case for asylum when our capacity to help is taken up by people coming through and from countries that are perfectly safe. it is unfair on those who migrate here illegally when others come here and cheating the system. and above all, it is unfair on the british people, who play by the rules when others come here illegally and benefit from breaking those rules. so people are right to be angry, mr speaker, because they see what i

see, which is that this simply is not fair. it is not cruel or unkind to want to break the stranglehold of criminal gangs who trade in human misery and who exploit our system and laws. enough is enough. as currently constructed, the global asylum framework has become obsolete. today, there are 100 million people displaced globally, hostile states are using migration as a weapon on the very borders of europe, does the world becomes more unstable and the effects of climate change make more places uninhabitable, the numbers displaced will only grow. we have a proud history of providing sanctuary to those most in need. britain helped

craft the 1951 refugee convention to protect those fleeing persecution. the right honourable memberfor maidenhead past the well�*s first modern slavery act in 2015. and in the last year, we have opened our hearts and our homes to people from hong kong, afghanistan and ukraine. thousands of families will be setting extra places around the christmas table this year. nobody, nobody can doubt our generosity of spirit. but today, far too many of the beneficiaries of that generosity are not those directly fleeing war zones or at risk of persecution, but people crossing the channel in small boats. many originate from fundamentally safe countries. or travel through safe countries. there

are journeys are not ad hoc but coordinated by ruthless organised criminals. and every singlejourney risks the lives of women, children, and we should be honest, mostly men, and we should be honest, mostly men, and c. mr speaker, —— at sea. this is not what previous generations intended when they drafted our humanitarian laws. nor is it the purpose of the numerous international treaties to which the uk is a signatory. and unless we act now and decisively, this will only get worse. already in atjust seven weeks since i became prime minister, weeks since i became prime minister, we have delivered the largest ever small boats deal with france, with significantly more boots on the ground patrolling their beaches. for the first time, uk and french officers are embedded in respective

operations in dover and northern france. we have re—established the calais group of northern european nations to disrupt traffickers all the migration route. and last week, this group set a long—term ambition for a uk, this group set a long—term ambition fora uk, eu— wide this group set a long—term ambition for a uk, eu— wide agreement on cooperation. of course this is not a panacea, and we need to go much further. over the last month, the home secretary and i have studied every aspect of this issue in detail, and we can now set out five new steps today. first, our policing of the channel has been too fragmented with different people doing different things and being pulled in different directions. so we will establish a new permanent unified small boats operational command. this will bring together our military, our civilian capabilities and the national crime agency. it will coordinate our

intelligence, interception, processing and enforcement and use all available technology, including drones for reconnaissance and surveillance, to pick people up and identify and then prosecute more gang �* identify and then prosecute more gang — led boat pilots. we are adding more than 700 new staff and also doubling the funding given to the nca for tackling organised immigration crime in europe. second, these extra resources will free up immigration officers to go back to enforcement, which will in turn allow us to increase raids on illegal working by 50%. and it is frankly absurd that today illegal migrants can get bank accounts, which help them live and work here, so we will restart data—sharing to stop this. third, it is unfair and

appalling that we are spending £5.5 million everyday on using hotels to asylum seekers. we must end this. so we will shortly bring forward a range of alternative sites such as disused holiday parks, former student halls and a surplus military sites. we have already identified locations that could accommodate 10,000 people and are in active discussions to secure these and more. discussions to secure these and more, ,., , discussions to secure these and more. , ., discussions to secure these and more. ., ., ., more. somebody flashed a cameron then. it is quite _ more. somebody flashed a cameron then. it is quite serious _ more. somebody flashed a cameron then. it is quite serious to _ more. somebody flashed a cameron then. it is quite serious to take - then. it is quite serious to take photos— then. it is quite serious to take photos in— then. it is quite serious to take photos in the chamber. no, there was a different— photos in the chamber. no, there was a different camera. if the member knew_ a different camera. if the member knew they— a different camera. if the member knew they had taken the photograph, i expect— knew they had taken the photograph, i expect them to delete it or go out to the _ i expect them to delete it or go out to the chamber when the premise that is speaking _ to the chamber when the premise that is speaking to interrupt. was it yourself? — is speaking to interrupt. was it yourself? two when the prime minister— yourself? two when the prime minister is speaking. i hope it is deleted — minister is speaking. i hope it is deleted. can you go out and just have _ deleted. can you go out and just have a _ deleted. can you go out and just have a chat _ deleted. can you go out and just have a chat with the sergeant. it did not— have a chat with the sergeant. it

did not look that way to me. sorry about— did not look that way to me. sorry about that, — did not look that way to me. sorry about that, prime minister. asl about that, prime minister. as i sa , about that, prime minister. as i say. these _ about that, prime minister. as i say, these sites _ about that, prime minister. as i say, these sites will _ about that, prime minister. " i say, these sites will accommodate 10,000 people and we are in active discussions to secure them and many more. ouraim is to discussions to secure them and many more. our aim is to add thousands of places through this type of accommodation in the coming months at half of the cost of hotels. at the same time as we consulted on over the summer, the cheapest and fairest way to solve this problem is for all local authorities to take their fair share for all local authorities to take theirfair share of for all local authorities to take their fair share of asylum seekers in the private rental sector. and we will work to achieve this as quickly as possible. fourth, mr speaker, we need to process claims in days or weeks. not months or years. so we will double the number of asylum caseworkers. and we are radically re—engineering the end—to—end process with shorter guidance, fewer interviews, less paperwork. we will

also remove the gold—plating in our modern slavery system, including by reducing the cooling off period from 45 to 30 days, the legal minimum set out in the e—card treaty. as a result of these changes, we will triple the pot activity of our caseworkers and expects to abolish the backlog of initials asylum decisions by the end of next year. fifth, and most significantly, a third of all of those arriving in small boats this year, almost 13,000 people, are albanian. and yet albania is a safe, prosperous european country. it is deemed safe for returns by germany, france, italy, sweden. it is a eu accession country, a nato ally and a member of

the same treaty against trafficking as the united kingdom. the prime minister of albania has himself said there is no reason why we cannot return albanian asylum seekers immediately. last year, germany, france, belgium, sweden, all rejected almost 100% of albanian asylum claims. yet our rejection rate is just 45%. asylum claims. yet our rejection rate isjust 45%. that asylum claims. yet our rejection rate is just 45%. that must not continue. so today, i can announce a new agreement with albania and a new approach. first, we will embed border force officers into tirana airport for the first time ever, helping to disrupt organised crime and stop people coming here illegally. second, we will issue new guidance for our caseworkers to make it crystal clear that albania is a

safe country. third, one of the reasons we struggle to remove people is because they unfairly exploit our modern slavery system. so we will significantly raise the threshold someone has to meet to be considered a modern slave. for the first time, we were actually require a caseworker to have objective evidence of modern slavery, rather than just a evidence of modern slavery, rather thanjust a suspicion. evidence of modern slavery, rather than just a suspicion. fourth, evidence of modern slavery, rather thanjust a suspicion. fourth, we have sought and received formal assurances from albania confirming they will protect genuine victims and people at risk of re—trafficking. allowing us to detain and return people to albania with confidence and in line with the ecat treaty. as a result of these changes, the vast majority of claims from albania can simply be declared clearly unfounded. and those

individuals can be swiftly returned. lastly, will change how we process albanian illegal migrants with a new dedicated unit expediting cases within weeks, staffed by 400 new specialists. over the coming months, thousands of albanians will be returned home. we will keep going with weekly flights until all of the albanians in our backlog have been removed. in addition to all of these new steps, mr speaker, that the house be in no doubt that when a legal proceedings conclude on art migration and economic development partnership, we will restart the first flights to rwanda. so those here illegally who cannot be returned to their home country can build a new life there. even with the huge progress we will make with the huge progress we will make with the changes i have announced today,

there still remains a fundamental question, how do we solve this problem once and for all? it is not just our asylum system that needs fundamental reform, our laws need reform too. we must be able to control our borders to ensure that the only people who come here, through safe and legal roots. however well intended, our legal frameworks are being manipulated by people who exploit our courts to frustrate their removal for months or years on end. mr speaker, i said enough is enough, and i mean it. and that means i am prepared to do what must be done. so early next year, we will introduce new legislation to make unambiguously clear that if you enter the uk illegally, you should not be able to remain here. instead,

you will be detained and swiftly returned, either to your home country or to a safe country where your asylum claim will be considered. and you will no longer be able to frustrate removal attempts with late or spurious claims or appeals. and once removed, you should have no right to re—entry, settlement or citizenship. furthermore, if our reforms in albania are challenged by the courts, we will also put them on a statutory footing to ensure that the uk's treatment of albanian arrivals is no different to that of germany or france. the only way to come to the uk for asylum will be through safe and legal roots. and as we get a grip of illegal migration, we will create more of those roots. we will

work with the unhcr to identify those most in need so the uk remains a safe haven for the most vulnerable. we will introduce an annual quota and numbers are set by parliament in consultation with local authorities to determine our capacity and amendable in the face of humanitarian emergencies. mr speaker, that is the fairway to address this global challenge. tackling this problem will not be quick. it will not be easy, but it is the right thing to do. because we cannot persist with a system that was designed for a different era. we have to stop the boats and this government will do what must be done. mr speaker, we will be tough but fair but where we lead others will follow and i commend this statement to the house.

cheering i now call the leader of the opposition, keir starmer. flan i now call the leader of the opposition, keir starmer. can i thank the _ opposition, keir starmer. can i thank the prime _ opposition, keir starmer. can i thank the prime minister - opposition, keir starmer. can i thank the prime minister for i thank the prime minister for advanced side of his statement and can ijoin with him in the comments about the tragic loss of life in solihull, which is imaginatively unbearable for the families and friends and whole of the commuter? mr speaker, channel crossings are a serious problem requiring serious solutions. we need leadership at home and abroad. we need a home office that functions effectively and we need to defeat the criminal gangs operating on the coast. but time and time again, this government has not provided serious solutions. the prime minister sat around the cabinet table the whole time for the

should have been solutions, there has been unworkable gimmicks. as i listen to that statement, all of that has been said almost word for word before. last time we had legislation. plenty of newspaper headlines about machines, fantasy islands, but no effective action. all designed to mask failure. to distract from a broken asylum system but cannot process create claims, cannot return those with no right to be here and cannot protect our borders. over40,000 be here and cannot protect our borders. over 40,000 people across the channel this year. that is a record, but only 2% have had their asylum claim processed. what happens to the other 98% that are placed in hotels costing around £7 million per day? bad for refugees who want to rebuild their lives, bad for taxpayers and this is notjust a

one—off bad year of 2022. it has been bad under the tories for years. last year, the percentage of channel crossings asylum claims process was just 4%. a little figure to sink in because that is the root of the problem. something has to be done to clear the backlog. i welcome the commitment to to fast—track unfounded claims. that is what we've been calling for. britain is two years behind so many of our neighbours and allies who have been fast tracking for years. can the prime minister confirm and i want an answer on this that he intends and will clear the backlog by the end of next year? that is a cases in the backlog. i know he said it and he'll be back in the year but 150,000 cases, including the 100,000 who have been there for over six months. we need clarity about that. i also

welcome more staff for processing. it's appalling that the backlog has been let get this big. nearly 100,000 cases have been waiting more than six months for a decision. that is the root cause. but processing is only part of the answer. criminal gangs are sending these people to risk their lives. they thrive because of a total failure of any coordinated response or any effective deterrent to their criminal activity. effective deterrent to their criminalactivity. for effective deterrent to their criminal activity. for months, we have been calling for action to tackle this root cause, a specialist cell in the national crime agency to catch and prosecute and disband criminal gangs. we need to be working internationally to end this cross—border crime. again, new staff are welcome but can he guarantee that will result in prosecution for those who put lives and national security at risk? mr speaker, money is being wasted on the unworkable,

unethical plan to deport people to rwanda. £140 million wasted already. a single deportation. the most senior civil servant in the home office is the only one in government to tell the truth. it doesn't even work as a deterrent. the prime minister has promised more legislation but the last time the government legislated to tackle the broken asylum system they made it work. mr speaker, since the nationality and borders act came into force, crossings and delays have increased. 18,000 cases have been put through the new process, adding an additional six months with only 21 returns. that is slow track, not fast—track. how can he say new legislation is the answer? the unworkable gimmicks go on. and so do the crossings. we need to bring this to an end and that means a proper

plan to crack down on the gangs, quick processing, return agreement, serious solutions to a serious problem and that is what labour will offer. ~ , offer. prime minister. prime minister- — offer. prime minister. prime minister. mr— offer. prime minister. prime minister. mr speaker, i offer. prime minister. prime minister. mr speaker, that l offer. prime minister. prime i minister. mr speaker, that speaks for itself. cheering we are not going to take any lectures from the labour party on that. this is the gentleman who has consistently tried to block steps to strengthen britain's approach to migration since he has been elected and he has failed and 36 occasions to vote for stronger laws and we heard that again today, mr speaker.

he talks about processing and hotels but the only way to stop the problem is to stop the boats mr speaker. we are the only party, mr speaker, that has a plan to tackle these issues. and knew bold modes operational command of the channel, deals with vandalia and france and cheaper accommodation and tougher immigration enforcement and new legislation making it clear in law for the first time that if you come here legally you cannot stay. new —— new deal with albania... labour now have a choice. show that there are the side of the british people and backed our plans to stop illegal migration. he may want to stand in our way, migration. he may want to stand in ourway, he migration. he may want to stand in our way, he may want to block laws, we are going to block the boats. theresa may. can i thank my right

honourable friend for his reference to my passing of the modern slavery act? does he agree with me that in dealing with asylum claims, the onus must be on the home office to improve its processing, that contrary to what is said by some commentators and sadly some members of this house, people smuggling and human trafficking are distinct and separate crimes? and they should not be treated or spoken of as one. and that modern slavery is a very real and current threat with too many people brought to this country into slavery and that we must do nothing to diminish our world leading protections for the victim of those terrible, horrific crime? i protections for the victim of those terrible, horrific crime?— protections for the victim of those terrible, horrific crime? i know the whole house _ terrible, horrific crime? i know the whole house will _ terrible, horrific crime? i know the whole house willjoin _ terrible, horrific crime? i know the whole house willjoin me - terrible, horrific crime? i know the whole house willjoin me in - terrible, horrific crime? i know the whole house willjoin me in payingj whole house willjoin me in paying tribute to my right honourable friend for her global leadership on

this issue. she is absolutely right and it is incumbent on us to ensure our processing is swift and effective but i know she will want to join me in effective but i know she will want tojoin me in ensuring that our world leading modern slavery regime actually helps the people who are most in need, most vulnerable because they are the people who need our support and that is what our reforms today will deliver. studio: rishi sunak outselling a five—point plan in the commons to end the backlog, he says, asylum seeker claims by the end of next year. the backlog currently 150,000. the steps include a new permanent small boats command, incorporating the military, boats and the national crime agency, with more funding for the national crime agency, which he says will in turn free up immigration officers to increase raids on illegal workers in this country. he also spoke about cracking down on albanian asylum

seekers, making up one in four of those coming across the channel this year. much more coming up at 1pm with ben brown. now it is time for a look at the weather with sarah keith lucas. i will widespread unfairly prolonged cold snap of december weather is set to continue for a few more days. last night was the coldest day of the year in both scotland and england, this was the picture earlier on in northumberland. beautiful blue skies, a wintry scene there. but the weather is continuing to cause some disruption, so icy stretches which will last for the next few days. some wintry showers mainly but not exclusively in scotland, a cold northerly wind developing but improved visibility losing the mist and fog we have seen. the cold air mass very much with us at the moment, the wind is coming from the north. as we head to the weekend, notice the yellow and orange colours approaching, things will turn milder it works by sunday and wetter too. before we get there, lots of wintry weather to get out of the way. rain towards the far south—west, could be

snowfall for the likes of dartmoor, bodmin as well. potentially spreading to the likes of west sussex by the end of the night. temperatures already —2, minus four degrees but where when the sun sets they will drop quickly into tonight. more heavy snow showers piling in across the north and north—east of scotland, one or two affecting parts of north—east england as well. elsewhere, clear and dry tonight, just a few freezing fog patches lingering, particularly towards the south. not quite as cold as last night but still —6 —7, even in some towns. certainly an ice risk at the start of tomorrow. dale is at times, blizzard conditions here. further snow fall around the east coast of england as well. lighter winds meanwhile further south and west, and a fairamount meanwhile further south and west, and a fair amount of high cloud turning any sunshine hazy towards the south. temperatures are most of us will struggle a few degrees above freezing and it will feel colder than that when you add the wind—chill when you're exposed to

the northerly breeze. a similar day on thursday with a sharp frost again, icy stretches, dry clear and sunny for most but more heavy snow showers across the north of scotland. temperatures between 1—5 . turning slightly milder over the next couple of days towards the end of the week, particularly to the weekend where it looks more unsettled and wet at times. the potential for things to turn a bit colder again the following week. you can keep up—to—date with the 14—day forecast by heading to bbc weather app. bye for now.

a fresh wave of strike action on the railways causing huge disruption in the run—up to christmas. 40,000 members of the rmt union are walking out for four days this week with the vast majority of trains cancelled. we understand the anger that is caused by the disruption of the stoppages, of course, but we are getting a lot of support from the public, we continue to get messages, people continue to visit our picket lines. , �* ., ., ,, , lines. there isn't a bottomless pit of money to _ lines. there isn't a bottomless pit of money to pay _ lines. there isn't a bottomless pit of money to pay increased - lines. there isn't a bottomless pit i of money to pay increased salaries, i think— of money to pay increased salaries, i think there — of money to pay increased salaries, i think there is a fair offer on the table. _ i think there is a fair offer on the table. fair— i think there is a fair offer on the table, fairto i think there is a fair offer on the table, fair to taxpayers and fair to the people — table, fair to taxpayers and fair to the people who work in the industry. this latest rail strike comes on top of industrial action in many other sectors including nurses later this week. october saw the most days lost

to strikes for a decade. also this lunchtime....