the latest strikes by ambulance workers, nurses and teachers are all expected to go ahead, despite new talks with ministers. as the prime minister talks to nhs staff today, he doesn't rule out more money but says it has to be affordable. on pay we have always said that the government is happy to talk about pay demands and pay issues that are anchored in what is reasonable, what's responsible, what is affordable for the country. ambulance workers are among those set to strike this week. the unions say they need more flexibility from ministers. we didn't get the tangible concessions that we might have hoped or that would enable us to call off the strikes later this week and next.

we'll have the latest on the talks, amid hints from some negotiators that there are signs of possible compromise. also tonight... government support with energy bills for business and public sector bodies is set to be cut by as much as two thirds. following riots by the far right in brazil after bodies is set to be cut by as much as two thirds. following riots by the far right in brazil after the presidential election, we report from inside the palace wrecked by the mob. the clearing of the population has been going on for quite some time there and he seems look hauntingly familiar to the attack that happened in the us capital to back years ago. —— the clearing of the parliament. simply the best — the welsh fans'

verdict on gareth bale�*s record—breaking career as he retires from professional football. and any minute now history could be made in cornwall, as the first satellites are due to be launched from british soil. and coming up on the bbc news channel. with the fa cup third round action drawing to a close tonight — good evening. a series of strikes in the coming days by ambulance workers, teachers, driving examiners and bus drivers, along with next week's action by nurses, are all expected to go ahead despite talks with ministers today. one trade union talked of a "missed opportunity", while another said the talks had been "bitterly disappointing." pay and conditions are the root causes of the disputes, with unions insisting on pay rises which reflect the sharp rise in the cost of living. ministers say any offers

must be affordable. well, as things stand ambulance staff in england are set to stage two more strikes — this wednesday and then on the 23rd of january. that this wagon is 11th and then monday the 23rd of january. last thatis monday the 23rd of january. last that is this wednesday the 11th, and then monday the 23rd. —— that is this wednesday the 11th, and then monday the 23rd. nurses will take action next week, for two days, on the wednesday the 18th and thursday the 19th. and in scotland this week there will be two days of strikes by teachers, starting tomorrow, with more action next week. during the day the prime minister rishi sunak did not rule out offering a one—off payment to public sector workers to ease the cost of living, a policy already adopted by the welsh government. our political editor chris mason has this report. a winter of strikes. i'm off to see union leaders heading in to see the government. so what's the chances of the rows being sorted out and the strikes cancelled? this is the department of health. this morning, unions representing health workers turned up to meet the health secretary.

so were they optimistic? i think so, yeah. travelling in hope. but obviously there's some confusion about what is actually going to happen in the room. what are you hoping for today? what we've been demanding is talks on pay. the reality is that we are not going to resolve the crisis in the nhs, we are not going to be able to move on, unless we resolve 2022 pay. next stop, the department for education. teachers are striking in scotland tomorrow and the day after. in england and wales, many are being asked if they want to strike, too, over pay. if there's no extra money then there can't be any movement. so we'll see what we get from this meeting and report back afterwards. and there is the ongoing dispute on the railways aboutjobs, pay and conditions. union leaders went in to see the rail minister. i've had my muesli, i'm ready to go! hi, i'm rishi. the prime minister hinted at the weekend that he might be in the mood for compromise. he was at a doctor's surgery in leeds today. i'm really pleased that union leaders accepted ministers' invitations to come in today to have

discussions across the board, and that's a really positive development. and on pay, we've always said that the government is happy to talk about pay demands and pay issues that are anchored in what's reasonable, what's responsible, what's affordable for the country. but the most important thing is those talks are happening, and let's try and sit down and find a way through. one idea being talked about again privately at westminster is a one—off payment to striking workers to acknowledge spiralling prices. it's something the welsh government, led by labour, is suggesting for health workers — albeit without saying how much it'd be. but it will be a sum of money that would not otherwise be available to their members, during a difficult period, with all the cost—of—living pressures that we have faced. that could go directly into their members' pockets. back in westminster, it's lunchtime. and the meetings are wrapping up. now time to dash down the road, around the corner, back to the department of health, and see how the union leaders in there have got on meeting

the health secretary. it was a very civil meeting. we did actually manage to talk about pay. we didn't get the tangible concessions that we might have hoped, but it was definitely a progress. the strike is about pay in 2022. that's what the negotiations have to be about, and the government has missed the opportunity again. you sound insulted, angry. very angry. union leaders then left their meeting with the education secretary. we will always engage and always be there, i but while saying there are thoughts of further meetings, there's no- sense of concrete progress. and as for the rail unions, sometimes an expression is all you need. as you can see, huw, not wildly close to some sort of resolution to these disputes as a result of today but there is a sense the tone has changed even if the substance

hasn't, so as i mentioned there is this talk once again in england of a one—off payment in some striking sectors similar to the one being floated in wales. another idea is that whatever the pay settlement is in the next financial year it could be backdated to the beginning of this calendar year, offering a little more generosity while not breaking the idea of the current deal not being reopened. if you look around the uk right now, there are many disputes involving several unions and a good number of governments and finding solutions doesn't look easy anywhere. as far as england is concerned after today there is, though, a blunt truth. strikes that were in the diary this morning are still in there tonight. chris mason, our political editor with the latest on tox there, many thanks again. there are more updates,

news and analysis on those talks from chris and other colleagues , on those talks to try to resolve the strikes on bbc news online — that's bbc.co.uk/news — and by using the bbc news app. to ease the pressure on nhs hospitals in england, thousands of beds in residential care homes are to be block—booked for those medically—fit patients currently unable to leave. the health secretary steve barclay said the policy would speed up the handover of patients waiting in ambulances for admission to hospital and in turn would free up more ambulances to respond to call—outs. care providers said the policy was no substitute for proper long—term planning. our health correspondentjim reed is here with more details. thanks, huw. we know the health service, the nhs, across the whole of the uk, it is under huge pressure at the moment. this blue line here shows the total number of beds in the nhs in england — it always hovers around 100,000, as you can see here.

and doctors say to operate safely the average number of beds being used should not go above 85%, which is what this dotted line here shows. that is the level considered safe. but here in red you can see that this winter once again the nhs in england is operating well above that level — around 95% of beds are being used on some days. the scottish government today also warned that hospitals are "almost completely full". last week more than 12,000 of those beds in england — that's one in eight — were taken up by patients well enough to go home but who could not be discharged. that's typically because there was no care plan or no social care place for them. the health secretary says extra emergency funding — on top of half a billion pounds announced last september — should help with that. capacity on wards should be freed up which in turn enables those patient admitted by emergency departments to move

towards, which in turn unblocks ambulance delays. and this is something we've seen again and again this winter — long queues of ambulances stuck outside a&e still with their patients because the hospital itself is so full. one idea behind this new funding is to try and clear that backlog by using beds in care homes, but in hotels and private hospitals to free up space in the nhs. labour described the plan as "another sticking plaster". the nhs is in crisis. the biggest crisis in its history. it is clear to the staff who have been slogging their guts out over christmas. it is clear to everyone who uses the nhs as a patient. the only people who can't see it are the government. nicola sturgeon said similarfunding to free up beds in scotland would also be made available, with full details expected tomorrow. but care home managers said there needed to be a longer—term solution.

it should've been looked at much earlier, and we knew this was going to be a tough winter — we have been told about that all the time. not only with the fact that covid is still around, but also that we were going to have a difficult flu season. so, actually, this is something that has been talked about for a very long time. one big question is how quickly this new money can reach the front line, and with the pressure on the health service now doctors say fast action is needed to make any real difference this winter. back to you, huw. many thanks, jim reed there, our health correspondent. the government has confirmed a sharp reduction — of two thirds — in the support it gives to businesses and public bodies, including schools, with their energy bills. the current scheme is worth around £18 billion and will be reduced to less than £6 billion. the new scheme will take effect from march. our business editor simonjack explains the likely impact. this chemicals business in west bromwich signed a four—year energy contract in 2019,

so has been shielded from prices that spiked tenfold at times last year, and didn't need a government scheme that subsidised unfixed energy costs from september until march. today's new scheme will give a discount to wholesale prices, which is much less generous. all help is very, very welcome. however, we are a small company, our energy is tripling this year, which means that, you know, being a small company we have one pot of the money. i fear that redistricting our money away from innovation into, basically, survival is not a good thing for the business and it's not a good thing for uk plc either. heavy energy users will get a bigger discount, and more businesses like his will now qualify, albeit for much less support. the chancellor said overall help would be cut by two thirds to protect taxpayers. no government can continue to subsidise indefinitely higher energy prices. but what we can do, which matters to all those businesses,

is to bring down inflation. and that means we have to be responsible with public finances. hugely volatile wholesale prices have actually fallen in recent weeks as temperatures in northern europe have been higher than usual but they're still over three times their long—term average, which means most businesses will see bills rise this year. now, this mild weather has been a blessing for the government, so it will end up spending less than the £18.5 billion it is estimated the current scheme will cost, but that could change at any time. you could see a cold snap, escalating global tensions or a resurgent chinese economy, bidding up the demand for global energy. and what this new scheme does is it means all the risk of future higher prices now lies with businesses and not the government. businesses like this pub group who have seen energy—driven inflation push up the cost of food, beer and wages, and say that volatile energy prices have hit their confidence and that of their customers. we are being very, very cautious because the threat of higher energy costs,

which we experienced last year, is very much in our mindset. but it's notjust the energy increases for ourselves. it's the energy cost increases to our consumers. and if we don't have a confident consumer, then that obviously weighs on our confidence. the government is also concerned that some businesses are being overcharged by their suppliers and want the regulator to investigate. but most businesses will see their costs rise, just as their customers' incomes fall. a challenging mix for 2023. simon jack, bbc news. a search is under way for tonight british men missing in the donetsk region of ukraine. —— for two british men. christopher parry, who's 28 and from cornwall, had travelled to the country

to offer humanitarian assistance, along with andrew bagshaw, who's 48 and lives in new zealand. they were last seen on friday heading to the town of soledar, which has seen intense fighting in recent days. many world leaders have condemned the riots in brasilia, the capital of brazil, describing them as an attack on democracy. thousands of supporters of the former president and far—right leader jair bolsonaro stormed government buildings, saying they rejected the result of the recent elections. the newly—elected president, lula da silva, accused mr bolsonaro of allowing "fascists and fanatics" to cause havoc. from brasilia, our correspondent nomia iqbal sent this report. hundreds of protesters let out their fury and rage on the heart of brazil's democracy. supporters of the former president bolsonaro entered congress, the supreme court and the presidential palace, destroying offices, computers, furniture and taking over government buildings. more than 1,500 people were detained on a0 buses. the clear up operation has been going on for quite some time now. and these scenes look hauntingly

familiar to the attack that happened on the us capitol two years ago. many of the protesters here clearly copied some of the tactics used by donald trump's supporters. but the crucial difference is this, they didn't try and stop the peaceful transfer of power here in brasilia, and that's because president lula da silva was sworn in last week. many hardline protesters are angry. not because bolsonaro lost, it's because they want lula, a left—wing veteran politician, back in prison, not in the presidential palace. many protesters have been setting up camps for weeks, demanding military action, claiming the election was stolen. translation: i'm here in this totally peaceful demonstration i because i don't agree with all the thievery of lula, the vice president, the supreme court and the superior electoral court. we want new elections, clean ballot boxes. translation: we don't believe this

election was democratic. _ the are several indications that there was fraud, that there was corruption. the camps nearby and in other parts of the country have now been removed. president lula da silva was blunt. he called the protesters fascists. translation: all those people who did this will be _ found and punished. they will realise that democracy guarantees the right to freedom and free speech, but it also demands that people respect the institutions created to strengthen democracy. he also blames mr bolsonaro for refusing to accept the election result. mr bolsonaro's wife says he is currently in hospital in the united states, and some us lawmakers are urging president biden to kick him out. nomia iqbal, bbc news, brasilia. as nomia mentioned, there were several powerful forces at work in the weeks approaching yesterday's riots. our analysis editor ros atkins has this guide to what's been going on.

so, how did we get here? well, to answer that, we need to start with these two men, bitter rivals, jair bolsonaro and luiz inacio lula da silva. back in october, lula won the election. he narrowly beat bolsonaro, a far—right president who had repeatedly cast doubts over the electoral process. and, after bolsonaro lost, he and some of his supporters questioned the result. translation: the current popular movements are the results - of indignation and a feeling of injustice on how the electoral process took place. there is no evidence of fraud. disinformation about the election between these two has persisted. conspiracy theories that the election was rigged or that bolsonaro was the real winner have been spreading on social media for months. and in recent weeks, protesters have been using coded language to try and coordinate their plans. and these theories have been tested.

here's the bbc in november, reporting that a challenge by bolsonaro's party was rejected by brazil's electoral authorities. nonetheless, some of his supporters continued to protest. they called for the military to intervene. and they turned to violence. when lula's win was certified by electoral courts, they torched buses in brasilia and tried to storm the federal police headquarters. on christmas eve, police unveiled a bomb plot near brasilia airport. and the sense of grievance held by both camps runs deep. lula was president from 2003—2010. he pursued policies that lifted millions out of poverty and he went from that to, in 2017, being jailed for corruption and being banned from standing for president. that conviction, though, was annulled. he was released. once more, he was able to stand for election. something that still

infuriates his opponents. most of the more radical bolsonaro supporters, they believe that lula is a communist and he will install a communist dictatorship. but bolsonaro is some way from power. on new year's eve, this photo emerged of him eating a kfc in florida. he'd left brazil the day before, on new year's day, in brasilia, while lula was sworn in as president. which brings us to sunday's riots. tensions years in the making had burst into full view. just as they did in quite different ways at the us capitol two years ago. i think, in many ways, oddly enough, the united states and now brazil are somewhat bellwethers of the very modern challenges democracy faces globally. and so, while this is a story specific to brazil, there is a broader truth here. that if politicians repeatedly tell their supporters that the electoral system is broken, in the end, some are going to believe them — and act on it.

ros atkins, our analysis editor, with the forces at play in brazil. bucking palace has maintained a resolute silence. following the latest allegations by prince harry in broadcast interviews to promote his new book. speaking on good morning america, the duke of sussex said his mother — the late princess diana — would have been very upset about the state of his relationship with his brother prince william. harry also accused camilla, the queen consort, of using the media — and the tabloid press in particular — to promote her own image at the expense of otherfamily members. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell watched the exchanges. across interview after interview — there have been three so far — harry's most damaging claim is that members of the royal family leak stories to the press to enhance their own reputations and damage those are otherfamily members. this is what he said today on us television about camilla, the queen consort.

i have a huge amount of compassion for her, being the third person within my parents' marriage. she's my stepmother. i don't look at her as an evil stepmother. i see someone who married into this institution and has done everything she can to improve her own reputation and her own image, for her own sake. here's what harry believes is evidence of that. in 1998, he says camilla leaked the story that she and the then 16—year—old prince william had had a successful first meeting. in fact, the story got out due to an indiscretion by camilla's then private secretary amanda macmanus. sho resigned immediately. the editor of the sun at the time was david yelland. he believes harry has misunderstood how the palace—press relationship works. i never knew a situation

where members of the palace press operation ever briefed against another member of the royal family. as far as my own personal experiences as editor of the sun, that never happened. however, there were many occasions when deals needed to be done, particularly when the princes were young. they had done things which they did not want in the press, and there were meetings that would happen and they would say, "look, could you not print this, maybe you could print this?" but it was never about another member of the royal family, in my experience. harry's book is published tomorrow. the monarchy�*s opponents say it proves its time is up. the pressure group republic said this... among harry's supporters, there's praise for his candour but also a note of caution. harry and meghan do have to be quite careful right now.

i think we're going to see, for the rest of this year, a couple sort of retreating from a lot of what we've seen over the last few months. the buffeting has been intense — it isn't over yet. the palaces remain battened down to ride out the remainder of the storm. nicholas witchell, bbc news. in the past few minutes, history was made in cornwall with the first ever launch of satellites from british soil. the mission involves a repurposed 7117 jumbo jet releasing a rocket over the atlantic to take nine satellites high above the earth. our science editor rebecca morelle is at the launch site with the latest. yes, excitement has been building here all day. i'm just a few minutes ago, we had left off, the 747, thundering down the runway. and it's not everyday that thousands of people come to see a plane take off, but this is a flight with a

difference. the plane has a rocket under its wing. and that is going to be sending satellites into orbit, the first time this has been done from the uk. getting ready to make uk space history. the final preparations for a launch with a difference. this jumbojet is carrying a a launch with a difference. this jumbo jet is carrying a rocket that will be released mid flight, firing engines to send satellites into orbit. it's the first time this has been done from british soil. it has been done from british soil. it has been blood _ been done from british soil. it has been blood sweat _ been done from british soil. it has been blood sweat and _ been done from british soil. it has been blood sweat and tears, - been done from british soil. it has been blood sweat and tears, a lot| been blood sweat and tears, a lot of that. it's been a roller—coaster, it really has. but it should be, it's going to space for a first time from a country that hasn't done it on their soil before.— a country that hasn't done it on their soil before. 2000 people have come here to watch. _ their soil before. 2000 people have come here to watch. it's _ their soil before. 2000 people have come here to watch. it's a - come here to watch. it's a once-in-a-lifetime - come here to watch. it's a - once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. it's once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. it's good _ once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. it's good for— once—in—a—lifetime opportunity. it's good for cornwall. we are local. it's going — good for cornwall. we are local. it's going to be awesome. best view down _ it's going to be awesome. best view down here — it's going to be awesome. best view down here~ [— it's going to be awesome. best view down here. ., . it's going to be awesome. best view down here-_ we - down here. i am so excited! we will not see her— down here. i am so excited! we will not see her for— down here. i am so excited! we will not see her for the _ down here. i am so excited! we will not see her for the next _ down here. i am so excited! we will not see her for the next week, - down here. i am so excited! we will not see her for the next week, she l not see her for the next week, she will be _ not see her for the next week, she will be on — not see her for the next week, she will be on mars somewhere, she has

jumped _ will be on mars somewhere, she has jumped that high. the will be on mars somewhere, she has jumped that high-— jumped that high. the rocket and aircraft belonging _ jumped that high. the rocket and aircraft belonging to _ jumped that high. the rocket and aircraft belonging to virgin - jumped that high. the rocket and aircraft belonging to virgin orbit. on the lower deck, all of the seats have been stripped out to save weight, because a rocket full of fuel is a heavy load. at the front, a small modification will have a big effect. in the cockpit are the usual controls that you need to fly a plane. there is one big difference, this. this red square is a release button. and about an hour into the flight, the pilot will press this to drop the rockets. until now, these launches have been carried out from california. the drop happens at 35,000 feet, and it is a perilous manoeuvre. everything has to work perfectly to get the rocket on its way. forthe perfectly to get the rocket on its way. for the uk flight, raf pilot matthew stannard will be at the controls. we matthew stannard will be at the controls. ~ ., , .., ., controls. we enter what is called a terminal count _ controls. we enter what is called a terminal count procedure. - controls. we enter what is called a terminal count procedure. that - terminal count procedure. that is one thing is for us certainly get more interesting as we go through

that sequence. at the end of the 15 minute terminal count, the rocket says i'm ready to go now. and it is myjob to make sure the aeroplane is not the right bit of the sky, the right position, so when the rocket says, i'm ready to go, away she goes. says, i'm ready to go, away she noes. �* . , says, i'm ready to go, away she noes. �* . y ., says, i'm ready to go, away she noes. ~ ., , ., , goes. and finally, the moment is here. lift goes. and finally, the moment is here- lift off _ goes. and finally, the moment is here. lift off for _ goes. and finally, the moment is here. lift off for the _ goes. and finally, the moment is here. lift off for the plane. - goes. and finally, the moment is here. lift off for the plane. but l here. lift off for the plane. but this is just the here. lift off for the plane. but this isjust the beginning. the next step will be to release the rocket and start a new era for uk space. so, the plane is now in the air. but this is really the start of its journey. about an hour into its flight it will be releasing the rocket. that will fire its engines and begin itsjourney onwards rocket. that will fire its engines and begin its journey onwards and upwards. but it is only when those satellites are released that this mission will be deemed a success. thank you so much. gareth bale, widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation and one of the greatest welsh

players of all time, has announced his retirement from the game at the age of 33. his decision comes a matter of weeks after leading wales into their first world cup appearance in over 60 years. thanking him for his service, the football association of wales said he was simply the best, as our correspondent hywel griffith reports. it was the farewell few fans would have wanted. wales's exit from the world cup in november will now go down as the final match for its finest ever footballer. in a statement, gareth bale today said, "the fortune of being welsh and being selected to play for and captain wales has given me something incomparable to anything else i've experienced. i am honoured and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country." gareth bale, with a moment of absolute magic! and what a part he played. the talisman for a team which qualified for two european championship and a world cup.

what gareth has achieved, he's wales's record goal—scorer, he's got over 100 caps, and he's played a huge role in wales's recent success over the last seven or eight years. that's why, for me, he is the number one player. his club career started at southampton. bbc cameras followed the shy teenager to his new home, before a move to tottenham saw him mature into a mercurial winger. that was followed by a world—record transfer to real madrid, where he won five champions league titles. a record for any british player, but still not enough to win over the spanish press, who questioned whether bale would rather be playing golf. his commitment to wales, though, was never in doubt. he's been a star for wales. and i believe he's shown a great demonstration to the people who look up to him. it was just kind of expected really, wasn't it? i think especially after the world cup,

and it not going quite as well as we would have hoped. must score... there wasn't a fairy tale ending. ..and does! but as the first welshman to score at a world cup in 64 years, his legacy is secure. hywel griffith, bbc news. simply the best, as they said. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor. bit of a shocker, more wind and rain on the way. no surprises there. let me take you to hampshire, do you remember back in the summer it had a stretch of over 40 days without a drop of rain? over the past 24 hours, there havejust been drop of rain? over the past 24 hours, there have just been two dry days completely, and 28 of the last 30 had some rain in it at cold rose. relative to average, in gwyneth, by the end of tuesday we could have seen a month's worth of rainfall in the first ten days. across wales and

north—west england, more heavy rain tomorrow and a risk of flooding, up tomorrow and a risk of flooding, up to 100 millimetres on the hills.