tonight at ten... tens of thousands of nurses across england, wales and northern ireland take strike action in a dispute over pay. what do we want? fair pay. when do we want it? now! braving the cold to make their case — members of the royal college of nursing say right now it's hard to attract and retain nurses. better pay, better staffing, just simple improvements to the quality of life would be nice for nurses. i feel so strongly that nurses coming through the ranks and qualifying, just they're coming through with so much debt, they're then leaving the profession in droves. but the government says the union's pay demands are unaffordable. we'll have the latest. also on the programme...

interest rates rise again by another 0.5% to 3.5%, as the bank of england says rising prices may have peaked. two young brothers and their cousin are named as three of the four boys who died after falling into an icy lake in the west midlands. the white house releases thousands of documents relating to the shooting ofjohn f kennedy in 1963. and he says he was screamed at by his brother. she says she considered taking her own life. the latest revelations from harry and meghan�*s netflix series. later on bbc london... and coming up on the bbc news channel... scottish football returns with hibs looking to upset second in the table.

tens of thousands of nurses in england are on strike for the first time in the history of the nhs in a dispute about pay. there were also strikes in wales and northern ireland — with members of the royal college of nursing union wanting a i9% pay rise. the government has called this demand unaffordable. emergency care, and critical services such as chemotherapy and kidney dialysis, were maintained. and not everywhere was affected by strike action. in england, 44 of 219 trusts saw nurses on strike today. but parts of the country, seen here in the dark grey, including cumbria, norfolk and kent, were not affected by today's industrial action. but nurses across the whole of wales — apart from at one health board — have been on strike. and nurses from across the whole of northern ireland also joined picket lines. nurses in scotland didn't strike,

after two health unions accepted a revised pay offer from the scottish government. our health editor hugh pym has this report on the day's events. cheering a moment of history. nurses on a picket line in liverpool. part of the biggest strike ever staged by the royal college of nursing. what do we want? fair pay! and in leeds, nurses made plain their anger at the pay settlement they've been given. in sub—zero temperatures, they gathered early in reading. nurses here argued that the strike was about stressful working conditions, as well as pay. nothing changes. things just get tighter and tighter. and we're expected to just keep putting up with things, keep finding... i'm getting emotional now. ..keep finding reserves. and enough is enough. we have to make a stand to get the government to at least enter into some discussion. because at the moment, they're not even entertaining that. and it is for the future of nursing. and the future of the nhs.

it's notjust nurses. there aren't enough doctors, there aren't enough physios. and it's for patient safety. it's just after ten in the morning, and the head of the royal college of nursing has just arrived at royal berkshire hospital, as part of a tour of different hospitals in england and wales, to encourage and show support for striking nurses. nurses in emergency care continued working. the union responded to accusations it was putting some other urgent treatment at risk. these nurses will do nothing reckless. they will make sure their patients are looked after. and, indeed, if there were any emergencies to arrive today in relation to cancer services or any other services, the clinicians that are working with us at local level will make sure that we work with them to ensure that those patients are looked after, and their care is delivered. average nurses�* pay is around £35,000. the rcn say wages have fallen after taking account of inflation. ministers said they recognised

the contribution of nurses, but there were other factors to consider. we've got to balance that against what is affordable to the wider economy. and asking for a i9% pay rise, way above what most viewers themselves are receiving, is not affordable, given the many other economic pressures that we face. nonurgent nhs work was postponed because of the strikes. ruth has a lung condition and her appointment today didn't go ahead. i knew as soon as i heard about the nurses�* strike, that i was surprised not to receive a cancellation. i did then get a text message saying my appointment has, understandably, been cancelled. because without the nurses the nhs just doesn't work. oi, oi, oi! striking nurses were making their voices heard in cardiff, and in belfast too, picket lines were busy. in england, there were strikes at about a quarter of trusts. but several more voted in favour and the union says the walk—outs could be extended in the new year if the dispute isn't resolved.

hugh pym, bbc news, reading. in a moment we'll speak to hywel griffith in cardiff, but first to emma vardy in dundonald. what hope is there of this pay dispute being resolved there? well, nurses were on picket lines here today for the second time in three years. they also went on strike in northern ireland in 2019 over much the same issues, pay and staff shortages, and nurses say there are some 3000 vacancies in nursing across northern ireland so thatis nursing across northern ireland so that is helping to pile increased pressure on nurses working in already understaffed departments and another factor making things more frustrating here for nurses is the fact there is currently no devolved government for northern ireland. the dup continues to remain out of power sharing on a protest over the brexit arrangements and it's the devolved

government at stormont that would implement a pay rise for nurses, so no government means it's making this pay dispute even more difficult to resolve. the department of health today said the strikes he had an impact on fragile services. there were lots of patient appointments cancelled, some of them urgent. but i have to say in 2019 the nurses�* strike back then did provide a catalyst for the parties, the dup and sinn fein, to get back together for power sharing although there isn�*t really any optimistic sign of any movement on that front round yet this time around, because of the political deadlock over brexit. find political deadlock over brexit. and h el, is political deadlock over brexit. and hywel. is there — political deadlock over brexit. and hywel, is there likely to be any movement from the welsh government on this? h0 movement from the welsh government on this? ., , ., ., ~ , on this? no sign of a welsh settlement _ on this? no sign of a welsh settlement yet. _ on this? no sign of a welsh settlement yet. it's - on this? no sign of a welsh settlement yet. it's in - on this? no sign of a welsh settlement yet. it's in the l on this? no sign of a welsh - settlement yet. it's in the welsh labour_ settlement yet. it's in the welsh labour government's gift to give the nurses_ labour government's gift to give the nurses their own deal, it set separately here in wales but ministers say they are sympathetic, they understand the nurses' frustration but they claim they

don't — frustration but they claim they don't have the cash to do it. they say there — don't have the cash to do it. they say there needs to be effectively a uk government deal that would mean extra money flowing down from westminster to cardiff bay in order for ministers here to up that pay deal _ for ministers here to up that pay deal. howeverwe for ministers here to up that pay deal. however we should remember the welsh _ deal. however we should remember the welsh government can bring in more cash if— welsh government can bring in more cash if it_ welsh government can bring in more cash if it wants to, it has tax—raising powers. it could potentially do what scotland has done, _ potentially do what scotland has done, change income tax rates, settle _ done, change income tax rates, settle things locally with the nurses _ settle things locally with the nurses. however, the first minister mark_ nurses. however, the first minister mark drakeford said this isn't the time _ mark drakeford said this isn't the time to— mark drakeford said this isn't the time to dip into public purses. what about— time to dip into public purses. what about the _ time to dip into public purses. what about the public? earlier on i was at the _ about the public? earlier on i was at the picket line, plenty of people beeping _ at the picket line, plenty of people beeping their support. this is one of -- _ beeping their support. this is one of -- this— beeping their support. this is one of -- this is— beeping their support. this is one of —— this is wales' biggest hospital. _ of —— this is wales' biggest hospital, six out of seven health boards _ hospital, six out of seven health boards affected by the strike, the majority — boards affected by the strike, the majority of patients will have felt a change — majority of patients will have felt a change. some we know had pacemaker fittin- a change. some we know had pacemaker fitting cancelled, one gentleman who had a cancer surgery cancelled but notably _ had a cancer surgery cancelled but notably both telling the bbc they support _ notably both telling the bbc they support the strike, and speaking to nurses— support the strike, and speaking to nurses here, they are prepared to come _ nurses here, they are prepared to come next — nurses here, they are prepared to come next week on the 20th and

prepared — come next week on the 20th and prepared to go into even more strike dates— prepared to go into even more strike dates and _ prepared to go into even more strike dates and we know that midwives here in wales— dates and we know that midwives here in wales are _ dates and we know that midwives here in wales are also considering strike action— in wales are also considering strike action after— in wales are also considering strike action after voting in a ballot yesterday. action after voting in a ballot yesterday-— action after voting in a ballot esterda . , , ' ., ~ yesterday. hywel griffith, thank ou, yesterday. hywel griffith, thank you. reporting _ yesterday. hywel griffith, thank you, reporting and _ yesterday. hywel griffith, thank you, reporting and thanks - yesterday. hywel griffith, thank you, reporting and thanks too i yesterday. hywel griffith, thank| you, reporting and thanks too to emma vardy. the thousands of nurses who are on strike are part of a wave of industrial action in different sectors across the country. nurses in england, wales and northern ireland go on strike again next week, on the 20th. among the others on strike are postal workers, who took action for a second day today, with another two strike days planned for the 23rd and 24th december. industrial action by rail workers continues tomorrow into the weekend, with more days scheduled for christmas eve to the 27th december and also in early january. our special correspondent ed thomas has been speaking to three people who work in different parts of the economy who�*ve all taken the decision to go on strike. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now!

these are the lives behind the picket lines. it�*s time that nurses say that enough is enough. it�*s not getting any better. it�*s only getting worse. like danielle, a nurse in liverpool. there are people in the nursing profession that cannot stay in nursing because they�*re not getting the pay they need to be able to live. they�*re not being able to care for patients the way they want to, because there isn�*t enough staff. and then they�*re going home and they�*re stressed because they can�*t pay their bills and they can�*t look after their own families. so, yes, it feels wrong, but it�*s really important that it happens, cos that�*s the only way we get listened to. does it feel wrong to you to walk out? you do worry, how is it going to affect patient care? but we�*ve been assured that patients are being cared for. the government says the royal college of nursing�*s 19% pay demand is unaffordable, and it has met independent recommendations on pay. we're in a crisis,

but we're caring people. we get people where they need to go every day. we have to take the hope forward. in leeds, we met katy. we've got to all squeeze in together because we've got kittens on the loose. oh, wow. mummy, feeling a bit sorry for herself. she's just been done. once a carer, now a train attendant. i love myjob. you know what, ijust want to be loved back. like many families with children, right now, money is tight. we've got a scheme in leeds called surplus to purpose, where you can get a really big box of food which would otherwise go to waste for £12. when all the bills are paid, what have you got left? there is minus left at the end of the month. katy fears her role as a train attendant is under threat. what has brought you out to the picket line? why are you doing this? it feels like a fight for a railway service to be proud of.

it's about people feeling safe. rail industry bosses say changes need to be agreed to afford pay increases and modernise the railway. it's the worst time i've ever known in the last 20 years of working here. i what's the future going to be for royal mail? . so, how long have you been a postie for? 24 years. was it yourfirstjob? my first everjob, yes. a postal worker in bolton. the onlyjob craig has known. when i firstjoined, _ me dad said it's a job for life. i don't think you can say that now to anybody who joins now. - and what are your fears for the future? what worries me most is members of my union losing theirjobs. - it's going to be drivers, - it's going to be agency workers, it's going to be casual staff. do you think people in the rest of the country understand your concerns? i think the working class . people should understand. all the costs are going up, - and the wages are not moving. it�*s disrupting people�*s lives.

it's disrupting people's lives, - it's disrupting our lives, as such. what can we do? we have to stand together. royal mail has offered a pay deal it says is worth up to 9%, over 18 months. what do you want? fair pay! when do you want it? now! for some, this is just the start. more walk—outs and more disruption will come. ed thomas, bbc news. i�*m joined by our political editor chris mason. so many different opinions we heard there. what�*s the government because my attitude to these strikes? arguably today was the biggest day yet in this winter of strikes and what is striking looking on them as this gap, this very obvious gap between so many of the strikers and the government or their employers, so you look at the trades unions in particular the nursing dispute today, pat cullen, the leader of the

royal college of nursing is on question time tonight after the news saying on that programme that today was a tragic day for the country and she claimed that some nurses have told her that they take what�*s left from patients�* dinners in order to eat enough so there is a clear sense from them that they are desperate and yet i detect within the union movement there is a nervousness about their claim that they need a 19% pay rise, a suggestion that that is unrealistic and that has played into the government�*s hands. where is the government this evening? they say they are assessing the impact of today. there is lots of conversations going on within government about precisely what they do, changing the law to make striking less effective for instance, that could come pretty soon into the new year. one suggestion today, that these pay review bodies in some sectors should be allowed to look again at pay given the inflation since they last looked. most in government say no, that�*s not realistic right now. 0thers that�*s not realistic right now. others are little more warm to the idea. and then of course there�*s the

industrial action still to come. real nervousness in government about those ambulance strikes in much of england and wales taking place next wednesday and a real sense that industrial action this winter is really only just starting. industrial action this winter is really onlyjust starting. fiur really only 'ust starting. our olitical really onlyjust starting. our political editor _ really onlyjust starting. 0ur political editor chris mason, thank you. the bank of england has announced another rise in interest rates, taking them to their highest level for 1h years. they�*ve gone up from 3% to 3.5%. the rise will mean higher mortgage payments for some homeowners and people with loans, at a time when many are struggling with the cost of living. the bank is hoping the rise will help bring down the rate of inflation. 0ur economics editor faisal islam has the details. it�*s absolutely mega—stressful because i�*m trying to work, but all interest rates, you know, going up, inflation�*s going up. it�*s, like, geez, what can i do? in pudsey in west yorkshire, homeowner clive turner is one of the 4 million owner occupiers facing significant rises in mortgage costs after a year of bank of england rate rises,

and that�*s on top of the hike in energy bills. it�*s about £120 difference, because 5.76, so it�*s a lot more money out of our disposable income. plus, our energy costs are going up as well, like everybody�*s are. it�*s going to be a struggle. this is the challenge. the bank of england aims to keep price rises inflation at 2%, but look at this. it�*s still close to a four—decade high, but on the bank�*s projections, it has now peaked and should fall. in fact, it will fall a bit quicker because of the extra support offered by the government on energy bills. it's not only beginning to come down, but it was a little bit below where we thought it would be and that's obviously very good news, but there's a long way to go. and we expect that to happen, by the way. we expect inflation to start falling more rapidly probably from the late spring onwards. but there is a risk that it won't happen in that way.

so, interest rates were again put up today by governor bailey and colleagues. the latest of nine rate rises that have taken rates up to 3.5%. what�*s interesting here is that this latest rise was smaller, a smaller dose of medicine than last month, and some of the bank�*s experts thought it should not have gone up at all. so, where are rates going next year? well, higher still for starters, but perhaps not much higher than 4%. this is also a trend around the world as rates have been going up sharply to combat the global energy shock and inflation surge, including today in the eurozone and yesterday in the usa. but also around the world, signs that this cycle of rising rates may be starting to slow. now, expectations of where bank interest rates go feed into the costs of mortgage borrowing. these are average fixed two—year mortgages, which surge to about 6.5% in the aftermath of the mini budget,

and they have come down to about 5.8% — but still well above where they were during the summer. that, the bank says, has already hit the housing market. so, the bank still expects a prolonged recession as cost of living pressures eat into incomes. but some signs that might not be quite as deep as feared. faisal islam, bbc news. scotland�*s deputy first minister has announced income tax rises for higher earners in scotland to help fund the nhs. john swinney said the changes would raise an extra £1 billion to spend on patient care. anyone earning more than £43,000 will pay a penny in the pound more in income tax and the threshold for top rate tax payers was also lowered, as our scotland editorjames cook explains. i�*m gordon barclay and i�*m just driving home from work. i work for the nhs. for gordon and his family, the backdrop to this budget is bleak.

a cost of living crisis fuelled by high inflation. far from festive. what are you noticing in the shops in terms of prices? well, stuff is going up. it�*s not even like 10p, 20p, it�*s 50p, 60p on some things, so you�*ve obviously got to go to all the different shops to see where you can get the cheapest stuff now. what do you think about the idea of them putting up tax to get more money for, say, the nhs? i wouldn't mind paying for something as long as i can see a result. but if i'm paying for something and i don't see a result or where it's going, then i've got an issue. i've got to earn money to give but they're raising my taxes. but when i ask for a wee bit of pay rise, they say there's no money there. it works both ways. but that is what is happening. at least for everyone on more than around £43,000 a year. they already pay more in scotland, 41p on the £1, now that goes up to 42p. the top rate also rises from 46p to 47p on the £1 and more people will pay that with the threshold coming down from £150,000 to £125,000.

scotland is now on a different track in more ways than one but it comes down to this, middle and higher earners pay more here than they do elsewhere in the uk. taxpayers on the lowest wages pay less. mr swinney. within the powers available to us, we will choose a different path. a path which sees the scottish government commit substantial resources to protect the most vulnerable people of scotland from the impact of decisions and policies made by the united kingdom government. we choose the path where people are asked to pay their fair share in the knowledge that in so doing, they help create the fairer society in which we all want to live. in the interests, thank you. the budget had begun badly, delayed by a row about a leak to the bbc. excuse me! 0pposition parties were furious about that and they didn�*t seem to love the budget either. labour said voters would not accept tax rises if public services declined.

the conservatives made the same point. if you widen the tax gap for middle and higher earners in scotland, in comparison with their uk counterparts, you risk undermining the potential for economic growth that this country so desperately needs. so, scotland is moving further away from the rest of the uk, setting its own tax rates, striking its own pay deals. this is devolution in action, but a string of recent polls suggest the majority of voters here want to go even further and become fully independent. already this statement is becoming a part of that debate. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. the final three episodes of the netflix series about harry and meghan, co—produced by them, have been released. in them, meghan talks about wanting to take her own life as the couple struggled with their role in the royalfamily, and with a barrage of negative press. prince harry describes being terrified when his brother screamed at him, during a meeting

at sandringham in 2020 to discuss the couple�*s wish to be half—in, half—out of the royal family. there�*s been no comment from buckingham palace. here�*s our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. westminster abbey, ten days to christmas, the king and queen consort arriving for a festive celebration with community groups. also there, the prince and princess of wales with george and charlotte. the british royalfamily doing what it does, on a day of further family turbulence. from netflix, the latest episodes of the harry and meghan story, their account of why they left royal life. a tale of rivalry and intrigue which came to a head at sandringham injanuary 2020, when harry tried to discuss his and meghan�*s exit with his father and brother. it was terrifying to have my brother

scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren�*t true. and my grandmother quietly sit there and take it all in. but you have to understand that, from the family�*s perspective, especially from hers, there are ways of doing things and her ultimate mission, goal slash responsibility, is the institution. according to harry, protecting the institution meant doing down him and his wife. an example, as he left the sandringham meeting, the palace issued a statement in william and harry�*s name to deny a story that william had bullied the sussexes to leave. i couldn�*t believe it. no—one had asked me. no—one had asked my permission to put my name to a statement like that. within four hours, they were happy to lie to protect my brother. and yet for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us. according to harry

and meghan, the root of the problem was jealousy. the issue is when someone who�*s marrying in and should be a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or is doing thejob better than the person who is born to do this, that upsets people. it shifts the balance. in their version of events, meghan had become too popular so stories were planted in the media to damage her. meghan felt completely overwhelmed. it's like, all of this will stop if i'm not here. and that was the scariest thing about it. it was such clear thinking. i remember her telling me that, that she had wanted _ to take her own life. and that really broke my heart. the programmes present troubling insights into what the couple, and meghan in particular, went through, though without any attempt to examine

whether their own behaviour may, on occasions, have exacerbated matters. at one point, harry says, it never needed to be this way. that may be one of the few points on which all members of the family can agree. nicholas witchell, bbc news. two young brothers and their cousin have been named as three of the four boys who died after falling into an icy lake in the west midlands on sunday. eight—year old finlay butler, his six—year old brother samuel, their 11—year old cousin thomas stewart along with 10—year old jackjohnson fell into the lake at babbs mill park near solihull as duncan kennedy reports. the four boys who simply went out to play and who tonight are seen for the first time in their youthful innocence. two were brothers, finlay and samuel butler, who were aged just eight and six years old. they�*d gone to the lake

with their cousin, thomas stewart, who was 11, whilstjackjohnson was aged just ten. in their statement, the parents of finlay and samuel said... they went on to say... in his statement, thomas�*s older brother, said... the poignant tributes from the family have come at the end of a traumatic week.

as they have endured their personal grief, the community has come together in collective mourning. it�*s a sorrow expressed through the pain of shared heartache. the community�*s really come together to kind of mourn the loss of four lovely little boys. it�*s terribly sad. communal prayers lent the site a moving moment today, a lament to the four young lives that won�*t now be fulfilled. the agony of futures taken. duncan kennedy, bbc news. thousands of official documents about the assassination of presidentjohn f kennedy have been released in full for the first time. 0ur north america editor sarah smith is in washington for us now. the release of these documents has

been eagerly awaited. so the release of these documents has been eagerly awaited.— been eagerly awaited. so much so that when they — been eagerly awaited. so much so that when they were _ been eagerly awaited. so much so that when they were published, i been eagerly awaited. so much so. that when they were published, the national archives website actually crashed, although it is up and running now and so you can see 30,000 secretly documents now publish. the assassination ofjohn f kennedy has probably inspired more conspiracy theories than any other event. anyone looking for evidence it wasn�*t lee harvey oswald that shot the president or that he wasn�*t acting alone will be disappointed. whatjournalists acting alone will be disappointed. what journalists and acting alone will be disappointed. whatjournalists and historians are looking for is evidence about how much the cia knew about 0swald before the shooting, including his contacts with cuban and soviet officials. after the assassination, did they try to cover up how much prior knowledge they had of 0swald. not every document about the assassination has been released,

there is another 3000 still under wraps, they are being reviewed to see if they could damage any intelligence operations and if they will not, they will be released in due course. will not, they will be released in due course-— boris becker has been freed from prison after serving eight months of his sentence, and deported from the uk as he�*s not a british citizen. the three—times wimbledon champion, who is german, was jailed in april for two and a half years for hiding assets and loans in order to avoid paying debts. the former world number one and bbc commentator was declared bankrupt in 2017, owing nearly £50 million. some people in shetland are starting their fourth night without electricity, after snow and ice brought power lines down across a large area. the power company ssen now says it could be the end of the weekend before all power is restored. 0ur scotland correspondent kevin keane reports. they�*ve been at it again since first light.

just gently. she�*s almost up. teams of people, many up from aberdeen, inverness and beyond, working long hours to restore power in all weathers. conditions yesterday were... pretty bad. horizontal snow, sleet. yeah, hale stones as well, so challenging for the guys, but as i say, today is a lot better. we�*ll make the most of the conditions today and get as much done as we can. how long do you think you�*ll be here for and your team? i think well into next week, maybe wednesday, thursday into next week. hopefully home in time for christmas. while the teams might be here for the long haul, they still hope to have all power restored by sunday. this power line runs from lerwick all the way up to the village of voe, and when these guys get it reconnected in a short while, it will bring 190 customers back online. customers like danny and annie, born prematurely and now just eight weeks old. their power on the island of whalsay has just been restored but it�*s been a difficult few days.

my main worry was feeding the twins. they are breast—fed twins and with no electricity,