in england and wales will go on strike at midnight as ministers express

concerns about safety. paramedics and support staff are taking further action in their dispute over pay and conditions. they say the current situation is not sustainable. we don't meet minimum levels now on a day—to—day basis. i cannot stress enough how difficult it is for us to be able to deliver that care to patients. here at westminster, the government not was planning ahead. it wants to change the law to force unions to offer emergency cover during strikes. labour say that is insulting to workers. we'll have the latest on the series of disputes in different public sectors and the likelihood of resolution any time soon. also tonight... 2022 was a year of climate extremes, weather experts say. europe and the polar regions were hardest hit by global warming. the latest on the fighting in eastern ukraine, where the mining town of soledar is reported to be under russian control. and the popularity of gaming helps boost the uk's home entertainment industry to record levels.

and stay with us here on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening. senior managers in the nhs in england and wales are warning that the strike by ambulance staff which starts in two hours�* time could be more damaging than the strike which took place before christmas. thousands of paramedics and support staff will take action in the dispute over pay. ministers at westminster have raised fears over the lack of specifics on the nature of emergency cover. they have published a draft new requiring a minimum level of safety during strikes in defined sectors.

those minimum levels would apply to fire, ambulance and rail services in england, wales and scotland, and also to health services, education, nuclear decommissioning and border security. but in those areas, the aim would be to reach voluntary agreements. our health correspondent dominic hughes has the latest. it's important to underline that any new law would not be in place in time to affect the current strikes. ambulance service, is the patient breathing? it's calm but busy in this control room for the north west ambulance service. i will make that request for you, 0k? so don't worry. preparations are under way for another strike day tomorrow. taking part are members of the two biggest unions, the gmb and unison, including ambulance crews and call handlers. all this, when the health service is already under intense pressure. the strike comes on top of a really, really difficult winter. i've not faced anything like this

in my whole nhs career. dr chris grant says we will all have to think carefully about how we use the service. i'm really confident that we're doing everything we possibly can to deliver a high quality service. but i think i've got to be brutally honest as well, is that there are some patients that we simply won't be able to send an ambulance to. but the public know that, and they know that we'll do everything we can to prioritise those who need us the most. so we have to be honest with the public, but i think as long as the public know we'll do everything we can to protect them, i think we'll work well together. and was there a faint or blackout just before the injury? the message from the ambulance service is pretty straightforward. they are asking us tomorrow to take stock, to think carefully before calling for an emergency ambulance. to ask ourselves, is this really a life—threatening emergency? something like a heart attack, stroke or a seizure? if the answer to that question is yes, then absolutely do call an ambulance, they are confident the measures they put in place to mitigate the strike action will mean help can reach you as soon as possible. not everyone will be joining

the picket lines tomorrow. daniel works for the west midlands ambulance service. he's not striking, but understands why others might. personally, for me, it was more about kind of patient safety. so bearing in mind if a lot of staff are off on this strike, we have to factorise into account kind of patient safety being compromised. and, for me, that was something i didn't wish to kind of be a part of. and concerns over patient safety are one factor that ministers say is behind new legislation introduced today, to ensure minimum service levels in england, scotland and wales are maintained in the public sector during strikes. whilst we absolutely believe in the right to strike, we're duty bound... we're duty bound to protect the lives and the livelihoods of the british people. the british people need to know that when they have a heart attack, a stroke or a serious injury, that an ambulance will turn up and that if they need hospital care, they have access to it.

but for paramedics like paul, a gmb union rep with 15 years experience working in the north west ambulance service, this strike is notjust about pay. it's also about how well paramedics are able to care for their patients. the quality of care comes when we're available to respond to those who need us. we're now not available to respond to those who need us because we're sat in hospitals or sat in the ambulances queuing for hours upon hours. and that stops us being able to deliver that quality care that we want to deliver to our patients. so where the government has said they're going to introduce minimal levels for people who take strikes moving forward, we don't meet minimum levels now on a day to day basis. i cannot stress enough how difficult it is for us to be able to deliver that care to patients. across most of england — and all of wales — the nhs is braced for another tough day of industrial action. dominic hughes, bbc news, preston.

in scotland, primary schools were closed today as teachers took action in their dispute over pay. the teaching unions have asked for a 10% pay rise, but the scottish government has offered 5%. teachers in scotland's secondary schools will go on strike tomorrow, as our scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. # we want io%, to pay the bills and pay the rent...# out on strike again. these teachers are clear about what they want. they say they'd rather be in the classroom but feel they have no choice but to pick up placards instead. i feel very strongly about it. i don't want to be here, i want to be teaching and the kids to be learning but it's been left to this, we can't do anything else. i have taught for 32 years and this is the first time i've ever been out on strike. it is not easy, not easy for the teachers, not easy for the parents. i'm a parent myself. families across scotland have been left feeling the impact of the strike. this mum says she's concerned

about what the effect on her children's schooling might be. i think it's a complete carry on. i think the kids�* education was ruined enough with covid. ijust think it is ridiculous they are putting the kids through this again. i get they want more money, but i think there should be another way they can go about it, where it�*s not causing an issue to the kids�* education. who do you hold responsible? the government. what we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! _ one union used today to visibly mark the first minister�*s efforts down. but nicola sturgeon insists the scottish government is doing all it can to resolve this dispute. she also says she�*s against any westminster legislation curbing the right to strike. i fundamentally oppose that legislation. the snp will oppose it very, very vigorously at westminster. we highly value the teaching profession. i think that is demonstrated in the 21% pay increase that teachers have had since 2018. the offer that is on the table now, it is affordable within the finite resources that the scottish government has.

not so, insist the unions. even as all sides agree that children�*s education should not suffer. it is absolutely not fair on the kids they are having their education disrupted, they should be in the classrooms learning, this morning and tomorrow. but it is not fair to ask teachers to accept yet another subinflationary, substandard pay award against the backdrop of inflation running at currently 10%. there is, as yet, no end in sight in this dispute. and if no deal is reached there will be further strike action starting next week, hitting schools in different council areas on different days. and a mandate from union members forfurther action, if necessary, after that. lorna gordon, bbc news, glasgow. and our deputy political editor vicki young is in westminsterfor us. this proposed new law that we mentioned earlier, what do we make

of that? , ., , of that? the first thing to say is let's look at _ of that? the first thing to say is let's look at the _ of that? the first thing to say is let's look at the timing - of that? the first thing to say is let's look at the timing of - of that? the first thing to say is let's look at the timing of all. of that? the first thing to say is let's look at the timing of all of| let�*s look at the timing of all of that. a series of strikes taking place across the uk this week. it won�*t make any difference to those, because this bill, this law, will take months to get through parliament and it is possible that it will face a legal challenge. the second uncertainty is that we don�*t know the details of all of this. they are still to be thrashed out. what does the government mean by a minimum level of service? does it mean a certain number of trains, a certain number of ambulances? we simply don�*t know. that is all for the future. labour say this isn�*t even necessary, it is the wrong priority. they look to recent strikes, nurses, for example. they did offer a certain amount of care. the ambulance service as well, it was not a national agreement, but locally they did agree to answer category one calls. the government insists it is simply trying to protect lives and livelihoods. but there are lots of questions about it, certainly there is a political

argument about it. and i think the dangerfor the argument about it. and i think the danger for the government, argument about it. and i think the dangerfor the government, at argument about it. and i think the danger for the government, at a very sensitive time, is that it simply inflames industrial relations. many thanks again- _ inflames industrial relations. many thanks again. vicki _ inflames industrial relations. many thanks again. vicki young, - inflames industrial relations. many thanks again. vicki young, with the latest at westminster. if you want more news and analysis on the strike action, including what action is taking place tomorrow and where, you can find all the details on the bbc news website and by using the bbc news app. more than 650,000 deaths were registered in the uk in 2022. that�*s 9% more than in the years before the pandemic struck. it�*s prompted a new debate about excess deaths — that�*s the number of deaths from all causes over and above what might be expected under normal conditions. the latest figures represent one of the highest levels of excess deaths in half a century in the uk. so what are the factors responsible? 0ur health editor hugh pym is here to explain. yes, huw. these figures tell us how many more

deaths there were compared to the average in the most recent previous years. and that�*s how to assess the total of nearly 657,000 deaths in the uk in 2022. let�*s look at the five year rolling average back to 2010 — which you can see here with the blue line. that�*s the number of deaths you would expect to see normally. and with the orange line, the actual number — well above the average in the first two years of the pandemic, but in 2022 still higher above average than in most years before 2020. the office for national statistics says for england and wales increased sickness was a factor at the end of the year. the last two weeks of 2022, we've seen the number of deaths be around 20% above what we would expect, given the five—year average. having looked at the data alongside what we've published, we've seen an increase in the number of deaths due to respiratory diseases, such as influenza and pneumonia.

so what are the main factors behind last year�*s figures? emergency care doctors say it�*s partly down to ambulance delays and long waits in a&e harming patients. and the cancellations of many operations, checks and appointments during lockdowns could well have stored up health problems resulting in more deaths last year. we know that there were a lot of people who would ordinarily have received diagnoses, particularly cardiovascular, because these things play out quite quickly, during the pandemic, that missed them. around 500,000 people walking around with undiagnosed high blood pressure, so that's going to contribute to patient demand. so how does all this compare with leading european economies also hit hard by covid—i9? here are some stats compiled by the 0ns going back to 2020. italy saw deaths 3.5% above the previous average, slightly more than the uk�*s 3.2%. but that in turn was above spain

and france, with less than 2%. but that only goes up to mid—2022 — health experts said more research is needed on what happened last year and why. huw. 2022 was a year of climate extremes, with many temperature records broken. according to the eu�*s monitoring service, the polar regions and europe were hit hardest by global warming last year. the data shows that it was the second warmest year on record for europe and the hottest—ever summer. 2022 was also the world�*s fifth warmest year on record. 0ur climate editor justin rowlatt has more details. france had a brutal summer. it recorded its hottest ever year and lowest levels of rainfall. the perfect conditions for the wildfires which swept the country, destroying crops and threatening homes.

the gironde region in the south of the country was very badly hit. i think it�*s really frightening, in terms of having things prepared for an escape, if we need to. which, again, sounds totally crazy when i say it out loud. you know, that we might need to escape from where we live. it was a similar story across the continent, which experienced its worst drought for 500 years. some of europe�*s mightiest rivers hit record low water levels, including the danube, the rhine and the loire, as the uk, germany and spain also experienced record heatwaves. this shows average surface temperatures worldwide in 2022. blue areas are below average, but look at the hotter than average red areas. europe, particularly western europe, is especially hot, as is much of northern asia. wales also recorded its highest ever

temperature during a year in which global temperatures were 1.2 degrees celsius above pre—industrial levels. now, governments have committed to trying to keep global temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees, to avoid the worst of global warming. but scientists say time is rapidly running out. if we look at the current level of emissions and current level of warming, we will hit 1.5 degrees some time in the early 2030s. so we�*re already living on borrowed time effectively and borrowed emissions. the most dramatic warming of all is happening in the coldest places. temperatures over the centre of greenland were eight degrees higher than average in september. antarctica experienced a record period of intense warmth, too. more evidence of how our world is changing. justin rowlatt, bbc news. the latest on the conflict

in ukraine, and fighting has been raging in the east of the country as russia continues its attack on the donbas region. the uk�*s ministry of defence says it�*s "likely" that the ukrainian mining town of soledar is now under russian control after fighting intensified over the past four days. this image from five days ago gives a sense of the destruction even before the latest russian attacks. soledar had a population of around 10,000 before the war. now president zelensky says there is �*almost no life�* there. two british nationals andrew bagshaw and christopher parry have gone missing in the region. they were last seen heading to soledar. they were doing voluntary work and were last seen on friday. it�*s thought that soledar is seen by the russians as a stepping stone to capturing the city of bakhmut,

where the fighting has been intense. these images are from the front line in recent days. there are reports that the uk may agree to supply tanks to ukrainian forces. 0ur ukraine correspondentjames waterhouse is in the capital kyiv. james, how significant are the battles around soledar? well, i think soledar is more important to the russians than the ukrainians, and there are two main reasons for that. firstly, as you are alluding to, it allows the russians to further encircle the significant city of bakhmut. there are deeper salt mines there which the russians could well used to

station troops and vehicles, and the fear, certainly from here in kyiv, is that they can use those tunnels to penetrate ukrainian —controlled territory. but the second reason it is significant is that the russians could effectively give ukraine a taste of its own medicine. until now, the ukrainians have effectively isolated thousands of russian soldiers by taking out their supply lines with targeted missile strikes. now, should soledarfour, ukrainians are seeing the thing is falling at the moment, but should the town fall, it would take out a major ukrainian supply line to the city of bakhmut. forthe ukrainian supply line to the city of bakhmut. for the russians, the gains are extremely costly and they are relatively small. but the reason they are throwing everything at it is that there is a big propaganda they win here, because soledar would be a vital trophy for russia�*s

president vladimir putin to present to critics back in russia. many thanks again for the update, james waterhouse in kyiv. 0ur correspondent in ukraine. the first ever satellite mission launched from british soil ended in deep disappointment last night when a technical failure wrecked many months of work. a rocket carrying nine satellites couldn�*t be released and the satellites were lost. today the uk space agency said it would learn any lessons and plan further launches within a year, as our science editor rebecca morelle reports. the mission started so well. a jumbo jet ready to lift off and start a new era for space in the uk. godspeed, launcher0ne. godspeed, cosmic girl, on this historic both european and uk mission to open space for everyone. 2,000 people came to watch, ready to see what they thought would be a moment of history. but it wasn�*t to be. the rocket, called launcher0ne, fired its engines after it was

released from the plane. but then this... it appears that launcher0ne has suffered an anomaly which will prevent us from making orbit for this mission. a second engine burn had failed. the mission was over. just absolutely devastated. you know, we put our heart and soul into this, and it's such a personal journey for me as well. and my family were here. so, yeah, it was pretty, pretty rough. but i feel ok, i feel 0k. and i think it willjust be a few days ofjust kind of letting it sink in a little bit. and this is thought to be the remains of the rocket, captured on camera. coming back down—to—earth, off the coast of the ca nary islands. nine small satellites were on board the rocket, including this one from a cardiff—based start—up called space forge. all were lost. as much as we didn�*t get to orbit, the project for us hasn�*t been a waste. we�*ve learnt a great deal. not only were we able to do that, but it gave the team a real opportunity to understand howjust

what it takes to manufacture a satellite. setting up spaceport cornwall was part of a drive to bring a launch industry to the uk and the government, through the uk space agency, spent £11.2 million on the failed launch. we know that we didn�*t achieve the outcome we wanted to with the satellites last night, but equally part of the point was establishing the capability to launch here. and we�*ve done that. we�*ve done it successfully. and that�*s the bit, for me, where we�*ve created over 100 jobs here in cornwall and it will continue to create more as we see the launch market growing in future. the plane is back on the tarmac. it did itsjob, its part of the mission worked. the rocket, though, failed. crucially, it didn�*t deliver satellites into orbit and the team will now be poring over the data to establish exactly what went wrong. it�*s a well—known saying that space is hard. the team, though, is certain they�*ll try again. but it could take months before they�*re ready. rebecca morelle, bbc news, spaceport, cornwall. rebecca morelle, bbc news,

spaceport cornwall. a look at some other stories making the news today: a romanian court has ruled that the controversial social media personality andrew tate, along with his brother and two other suspects, will remain in police custody for the full 30 days. they were detained last month on human trafficking charges and have spent 12 days in pre trial detention. they deny any wrongdoing. the online retailer amazon plans to close three of its warehouses in the uk. all 1,200 workers at the sites in hemel hempstead, doncaster and gourock will be offered roles at other locations. the company says it will also open two new facilities, creating more than 2,000 jobs. the parcel delivery company evri has apologised to customers for not delivering parcels on time or at all. it said staff shortages, royal mail strikes and bad weather had contributed to the delays that built up in the run up to christmas. evri said the backlogs should be

cleared "over the next few days". prince harry�*s autobiography, released in bookshops today, is already the fastest—selling non—fiction book on record in the uk. after days of excerpts in the press and interviews by harry, the book, called spare, is being sold around the world in 16 languages. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports on the impact of publication day. unpacked at midnight. after all the leaks, the revelations about his own life and the claims about the lives of others, the book itself — set out for display, ready for business. a royal read — a special offer at half price. the doors to this book store opened... good morning, everybody. ..to discover one particularly loyal customer queuing. advance orders have been high... thank you very much. ..and these early readers were keen.

i can't wait to read what he's got to say, and i can't wait to listen to the audio. to leave the family, . to leave their country, i want to know, in his words, why? the book has gone on sale in countries around the world. here it is in singapore. and this is the french edition, on sale in paris. the biggest demand is expected to be in the united states. there, the queue to buy was a little larger. lam iamso i am so excited! i know you are! and, like london, the first to buy had high hopes for the book. we find them fascinating. we find their marriage fascinating, their love story. and ijust think this is going to be a great addition to the next chapter of their story. i'm a psychologist, so i'm more interested in the sort of family dynamics, despite the obvious wealth and whatnot. the drama, trauma, loss, tragedy. and here, in many different languages, is one man�*s version of those difficulties. the book, the audio book are out there now.

anyone who is so inclined can read or listen to them and make up their own mind. but where does this leave the monarchy and the royalfamily? well, first of all, it�*s important to distinguish between the two. the system of constitutional monarchy has been part of this country for centuries, and it�*s weathered any number of ups and downs. right now, of course, there�*s a new monarch — charles iii. harry�*s claims, particularly against camilla, the queen consort, have been wounding, but do they matter? this is a series of revelations that have really re—entrenched both sides. those who are great supporters of the monarchy will continue to be so. the fans of the sussexes will feel as supportive of them as they always have been. but really, for the institution in the middle, itjust carries on. it�*s seen far worse than this before. i mean, this might be a scandal, but it�*s not a crisis.

and as for the book at the centre of it all? it�*s already the fastest selling non—fiction book in the uk the publishers have ever known. nicholas witchell, bbc news. the home entertainment industry in the uk is thriving, according to new figures. for film downloads, top gun maverick, starring tom cruise, was the most lucrative release in the uk last year. harry styles topped the music video charts, and fifa 23 was the leading video game. all in all, home entertainment streaming and downloads accounted for more than £11 billion last year. that�*s up 39% from pre—covid spending in 2019. the biggest industry was gaming, which accounted for £4] billion in uk sales, with research showing that the average age of a gamer is in the mid—30s. 0ur gaming correspondent steffan powell has more. it seems that what people craved the most in 2022

was a little bit of escapism. fantastical worlds, winning world cups, all from the comfort of home. mbappe! titles like football simulator fifa and fantasy action adventure elden ring helped the video games industry lead the way. people have consistently underestimated how important the gaming market is. and just a broad number of people engaging with games. it�*s notjust about console playing, and playing fifa or call of duty, it�*s actually games on your tablet, you know, playing scrabble, backgammon, more traditional games. in years gone by, people would rush excitedly to shops like this one on the high street in newcastle to buy the latest triple—a game on its release day. but less so now. these figures suggest that 90% of video games are now bought digitally.

and it�*s a similar story for music too. sales grew to their highest level since 2003 last year, thanks to people like harry styles. but physical sales are down, and it�*s revenue from streaming sites like spotify and apple that have gone up. the fastest growing sector, however, was video in 2022. one day this will be your kingdom. blockbuster shows like rings of power and obi wan kenobi have helped video streaming services like amazon, disney+ and netflix to encourage spending to increase by 14%. the success of the video games industry in the uk should be no surprise, given its heritage and making some of the most iconic titles on franchises around, from grand theft auto to football manager. it�*s a cultural and economic success story. there�*s been a huge amount of investment in the uk games industry, because it�*s so globally recognised as having this world—class talent. and because of that,

we�*re seeing a lot of new courses and things coming up at universities and colleges, because i think we�*re really starting to recognise that we need to nurture and support that talent, because it�*s so important. today�*s figures show that despite the will to reopening post covid, and with people struggling to afford to live as they used to, many are still making the choice to stay in and play. steffan powell, bbc news, newcastle. the time is 10:30pm. sarah is here with the weather. how is it? it has been another grey and drizzly day out there. i�*ve managed to find you a bit of colour this evening in the beach huts of herne bay in kent, but cloud and rain overhead. that area of rain should clear the way over the next two hours, which sets us up for another unsubtle day tomorrow. some strong winds and heavy downpours, but there should be cloud in the

east. that area rain clears away from the east