tonight at ten... the nhs is now facing further strikes as unions call for urgent action on pay to deal with a staffing crisis. around 20,000 paramedics and ambulance staff have been on strike today in england and wales. they're set to strike

again on 23rd january. i know there's a lot of controversy about us striking, and that we're not kind of getting those calls and getting to patients today, but in realistic terms, day—to—day, we're not getting to patients. we'll be talking to a paramedic in devon who says it's notjust about pay, it's about the intense pressure on staff. it's notjust the nhs, 100,000 civil servants are to strike on 1st february in their campiagn for better pay. also tonight... as russian forces intensify their efforts to occupy eastern ukraine around the mining town of soledar, there's a heightened concern about the fight of two british men who have disappeared in eastern ukraine, where they were helping locals. and could the elgin marbles be sent back to greece on loan? 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. the national health service is facing the prospects of more is facing the prospect of more strikes by staff after 1a trade unions said that they would no longer work with the nhs pay review body for next year's awards. the news came as ambulance crews in england and wales took strike action today, for the second time this winter. they're campaining for better pay and conditions. and this time they've been joined by call handlers which is why managers are warning that the impact of this strike could be worse. some of the action started at midnight but the duration and scale of the disruption varies in different parts of england and wales. only the east of england and isle of wight ambulance services are unaffected.

the prime minister rishi sunak says it's terrifying that people don't know what will happen if they call 999. ambulance staff have said repeatedly that they will respond to all categoryi calls, where life is at risk. 0ur health editor hugh pym has more details. pickets out at dawn in newport, south wales. ambulance staff on strike — members of the gmb union. in gateshead, they had vocal support on the unison picket line. 0h, bless you. and in lincoln, strikers were brought refreshments by the public. the military presence was clear, too, in plymouth and other parts of the country, acting as drivers and in support roles. horns honk. unions have agreed that strikers will leave picket lines for emergencies and some urgent

cases, but patients with less serious illness and injuries will be told to make their own way to hospital. scott, who's an emergency medical technician, explained why he was on strike. we're here because there has been lack of funding for many years now. the services are struggling and patients, ultimately, are suffering. enough is enough now. harriet, who is 22, is a paramedic. she says it's all about patient care. it is frustrating because you feel empathy for the patients. that elderly patient who is lying on our bed. they are not comfortable. they're getting pressure sores, they're thirsty, they are hungry. the hospital can only feed and make so many cups of teas before you just run out of things to say. you can only apologise so many times before itjust becomes worthless. the government wants new laws to ensure minimum levels of service during strikes in essential public services, including ambulances.

and that provoked clashes at prime minister's questions. all we're saying is that in these emergency services, patients should be able to rely on a basic level of life—saving care. why is he against that, mr speaker? there's not a minimum level of service any day, because they've broken the nhs! so, where does this dispute involving ambulance staff and other health workers go from here? as things stand, there are more strike dates on the calendar this month, including nurses next week. it all depends on whether there's any progress with pay talks. some union leaders were a little more optimistic after talks with the secretary of state on monday and they're anticipating some sort of follow—up. we're expecting some news over the next couple of days about what that follow—up will look like. i'm always keen to maintain optimism, but, you know,

the level of progress will really depend on what next steps he sets out. but there's still stalemate over money, with the government saying a new offer is only possible for the next financial year. call handlers who are unison members took strike action for the first time in this dispute after working limited hours providing basic cover. at london ambulance service, they were applauded by colleagues as they walked out this afternoon. call volumes in the system were said to be lower than usual, though nhs leaders are concerned about a possible sharp rise tomorrow. hugh pym, bbc news. in wales, more than 1,000 ambulance workers have been on strike for the second time in a month. the welsh government says it plans to discuss a one—off payment in talks with unions tomorrow. 0ur correspondent hywel griffith is in cardiff. hywel, what would you say about the

state of affairs there and the prospects for a resolution? well, we know that more _ prospects for a resolution? well, we know that more ambulance - prospects for a resolution? well, we know that more ambulance staff- know that more ambulance staff workers were on strike today than last time, in december, so clearly there is anger amongst nhs workers, but while it was only the gmb union involved today, we know that all of the health unions will be present at that meeting you mentioned for tomorrow, about lunchtime we understand they will be gathered around the table with the first minister, mark drakeford, who has already signalled he wants to make an offerfor already signalled he wants to make an offer for staff already signalled he wants to make an offerfor staff in already signalled he wants to make an offer for staff in wales. it does come from the welsh government budget. but he has already said it will be a one—off offer, a sort of cost of, cash lump sum that they can have in their pockets. we don't know any precise figure, one suggestion today was that maybe it could equate today was that maybe it could equate to about £1000 per worker. for the ambulance workers that would help bump up the overall pay packet to about what they are looking for, in

terms of inflation rise, but only applying to this year, and of course it would apply to many more thousands of workers, nurses and midwives amongst other, all of whom voted in favour of industrial action in wales, and they may find people like teachers coming to ask for a similar payment.— like teachers coming to ask for a similar payment. hywel griffith in cardiff, thank _ similar payment. hywel griffith in cardiff, thank you _ similar payment. hywel griffith in cardiff, thank you very _ similar payment. hywel griffith in cardiff, thank you very much. - the thousands of ambulance staff taking action today in england and wales say they want pay rises above inflation but the unions have not published a specific figure. they argue that any offer needs to be attractive enough to avoid a recruitment crisis. 0ur correspondent danjohnson has spent the day with one paramedic in devon to hear his reasons for going on strike. bbc news at eight o'clock. on wednesday 11th january. beyond the picket line, this is one paramedic�*s story. about four years ago, i qualified as a paramedic. lewis, an nhs life—saver — in uniform, but not in work. nhs managers say the impact of today's ambulance strike . in england and wales could be worse

than the last one. _ the winter pressure grows more, and more, and more, and now, to be sat there holding for hours and hours and hours, that's just something that i've not seen before in my career. how does it leave you feeling about the job? it's upsetting. as i said, the upset is that when you're hearing that radio go off, that, you know, they've got nothing to send. he'd be excited abouti using his skills, and... work pressure follows him home. it's not how it used to be. he'sjust not using his skills any more. do you see that stress? yes, definitely. do i come home stressed? yes! if i didn't think it was right, i wouldn't do it, but i can't see any other option we've been left with now, and we are literally fighting for the nhs. horns honk. it's quite nice to hear the public are behind us. some people say you're putting lives at risk today because of this action.

how do you respond to that? we're not putting lives at risk. we are still responding from the picket line if we need to. what is this about for you? is it pay? no, it's not about pay at all, it's about protecting the nhs. you know, we are short—staffed across the board, and this is all about ensuring that we have an nhs moving forward, in the future. calls were down today. they coped with demand here, but another strike is planned, and lewis says he'lljoin it. danjohnson, bbc news, north devon. around 100,000 civil servants are to strike on 1st february according to the public and commercial services union. union members in 124 government departments and several other public bodies will take action over pay and conditions. the government has offered civil servants a 2% to 3% pay rise. the union is calling for 10%.

0ur political editor chris mason is at westminster. let's start with the prospects for breakthrough in terms of all of these series of strikes, what is the latest guidance you have? short answer, latest guidance you have? short answer. huw. — latest guidance you have? short answer, huw, is— latest guidance you have? short answer, huw, is that _ latest guidance you have? short answer, huw, is that we - latest guidance you have? short answer, huw, is that we are - latest guidance you have? short answer, huw, is that we are no | answer, huw, is that we are no further forward. answer, huw, is that we are no furtherforward. as answer, huw, is that we are no further forward. as we have answer, huw, is that we are no furtherforward. as we have been reporting in the last couple of days there seems to be a shimmy within government towards a desire for some sort of compromise. so, the town has shifted but the detail has not yet. and all of this, as you were just mentioning, as the prospect of further industrial action grows. as far as the government's analysis tonight on how it has coped, how ambulance services have coped today, they are content that the mitigations that were put in place to work, there were no critical incidents that began in any of those areas where there was a strike action, but they are very candid, they acknowledge the service was well below what it would normally

be. one other thing to tell you about tonight. it is about the prime minister and the extent to which he relies on the nhs himself. he has been very evasive in the last couple of months about whether or not he used private healthcare, until today, at least in part. he acknowledged today that yes, he has used private healthcare in the past but he has always been registered with an nhs gp. the reason this matters is that people ask, if your prime minister and you're in charge of lots of public services, it is reasonable to ask the extent to which you rely upon them. but there was a limit to his candour. he would not say precisely when he had stopped using private healthcare, nor if he would use it again in the future. , a, ,., ., nor if he would use it again in the future. , ., future. chris mason, our political editor, future. chris mason, our political editor. many _ future. chris mason, our political editor, many thanks. _ much has been made of the differences between the national health service and other health systems in europe. france has more doctors per person than the uk and french gps charge a small fee per consultation which is partly reimbursed

by the government with patients claiming the rest from insurance. france has seen its share of strike action by medical staff in recent months. staff say the system is under strain because of a shortage of workers especially in rural areas as our correspondent lucy williamson reports. horns and whistles sound. in france, the bedside manner is reserved for patients. when diagnosing a national sickness, bullhorns and whistles are the preferred medical approach. gps are demanding the government double their consultation fees. 40% of nurses want to leave their jobs, and a third of all medical students are quitting. we are all in the same boat. and now the boat is, like, i don't know the term, but it is like the titanic. i am worried, as a future doctor. but i'm worried as a patient, too. would you rather be a patient in france or in the uk?

that's a huge question, because i think ten years ago i would have said in france. but now, in france, it is so complicated. and in the uk, if you have money, you can have care. so i think i would rather be rich in the uk, and have good care in the uk. gps, nurses and emergency workers have all been raising the alarm over chronic problems with staffing, salaries and resources. years of covid and a cost of living crisis have exposed the weaknesses in france's much admired health service. hospitals are sinking under a triple wave of viruses nicknamed black january. patients can stay in corridors for days. a new blow for staff already exhausted by covid. but, for some patients, this is the only way to see a doctor. in paris, you might get a gp appointment within a couple of hours.

in 0lliergues, it can take four years. its last doctor left in 2018. medical deserts like this one can be daunting for gps. they are often the only medical service for miles. "no—one wanted to come," the mayor told me. "we advertised, but no candidates applied." instead, he offered gps a local government contract, meaning set working hours, a regular salary and a medical assistant. celine began work last week. translation: there were some - appointments that really moved me. fragile people, or those in situations they shouldn't be in. some are clearly lost. some almost in danger because they haven't been treated. the government has said it will look at gp charges and change the way its hospitals are funded. but the loss of medics from hospital wards,

or places like 0lliergues, is france's most pressing health problem, and it won't be easy to cure. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris. the latest on the conflict in ukraine, and this week we've been reporting on the fighting in the mining town of soledar in the east of the country. the battles in the area are among the worst of the conflict so far. soledar has a symbolic and strategic importance. if the russians capture soledar, they could then go on to encircle ukrainian forces in the city of bakhmut. that is the goal that they have. russia has been sending large numbers of mercenary fighters from the so—called wagner group to the frontline, among them convicts who've been released to fight. and there are still concerns over the whereabouts of two british volunteers, andrew bagshaw and christopher parry, who were last seen

on friday heading to soledar. for now, ukraine says its soldiers are holding out despite the onslaught. 0ur ukraine correspondent james waterhouse reports. distant artillery fire. the ukrainian view of the russian charge on soledar. newly released footage shows them coming up against now familiar resistance. with the help of a drone, defending troops hit their target... ..and stop them in their path. these aren't regular soldiers — they're mercenaries from a private military firm called the wagner group, a network which does a lot of russia's fighting. it's run by this man, yevgeny prigozhin, a close ally of russia's president vladimir putin.

from one of soledar�*s salt mines, on russian state tv, he claimed to have completely taken the town. "ukrainians are probablyjust above us," they say. "let's go and find them." he's recently recruited convicts from russia's jails, offering them freedom for six months service. his take on the invasion was today undercut by russia's defence ministry, which reported ongoing battles in soledar. from the heart of the fighting, it's extremely difficult to verify claims from both sides. soledar and the nearby city bakhmut are more significant for russia, which is why they are throwing everything at it. so all we can say with any certainty is that minimal gains are coming with enormous costs. ukraine is adamant it's holding the line. 0ne soldier on the front tells us about the threat posed by the mercenaries.

the wagner army has a little bit better equipment. yes, they have a new gun machine. they don't value lives, yes, of soldiers. kyiv has acknowledged difficulties, but it's accused moscow of manufacturing a victory. translation: the fighting continues. the donetsk front is holding and we're giving everything to strengthen the ukrainian defence without a break, even for one day. 0ur potential is growing. the situation in soledar depends on who you ask. "they will never break us," says this injured ukrainian soldier. "we are winning." it may well be some time we find out who does. james waterhouse, bbc news, kyiv.

joining me now is our international editor, jeremy bowen. why is soledar so significant? as ou why is soledar so significant? is you have been hearing, it is strategically important, the russians really need a victory at the moment. they want to go ahead and get it there. i was in soledar in the summer. at that point, it was already being shelled. there were very few civilians around, there were big holes and craters everywhere. it was a very scary place. you can only imagine the extent to which that has moved on. as well as that, these tunnels and mine shafts are considered by both sides to be quite strategically important places. for example, places where you could hide weapons. lots of talk in recent days about the wagner group of fighters. why is it getting so much attention? the man behind _ it getting so much attention? the man behind it _ it getting so much attention? tue: man behind it is it getting so much attention? tte: man behind it is very it getting so much attention? "tte: man behind it is very vocal. it getting so much attention? tte: man behind it is very vocal. he has very vehemently criticised the

russian ministry of defence and the generals, saying that they have been making serious mistakes in the war. the wagner group had been operationalfor some the wagner group had been operational for some years in syria, libya, in the central african republic. they have been kind of semi—covert arm of russian foreign policy, but now they are much more out in the open. this gain for them in donbas is very important. 0ne in donbas is very important. one thing that has happened and has also been announced today is that the general who used to be in charge of russian forces in syria is still there, but another general has been put on top of him. he was one of the people behind the initial invasion which, as you will recall, did not go very well. so it could well be that the different messages you are hearing from the wagner group and the russian mod about soledar and these movements of personnel show that there is some politicking going

on inside moscow about who should be setting the agenda, and by putting this new general, new old general in, putin was saying, i am in charge, don't anybody forget it. two nationalist parties in northern ireland, sinn fein and the sdlp, have refused to attend a meeting with the foreign secretary james cleverly because sinn fein�*s leader mary lou mcdonald wasn't invited. mr cleverly travelled to belfast for talks to try to end the current political stalemate. the post—brexit trade arrangements are supported by a majority of northern irelands�*s politicians but opposition from unionists has prevented the northern ireland assembly from functioning. the northern ireland protocol means that goods going from britain to northern ireland have to be checked because they are still subject to some eu rules. after brexit, special trading arrangements were agreed because northern ireland has a land border with the republic of ireland, which is part of the eu. there hasn't been a fully functioning government at stormont for almost a year since the dup pulled its first minister out of

office in protest over the protocol. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy reports. the wait goes on in the corridors of power—sharing, but the moment a government is restored still feels some way off. today, the uk's foreign secretary became acquainted with the thorny nature of doing politics in northern ireland. as the leaders arrived for talks in belfast, sinn fein announced they were pulling out — as the dublin—based leader of the all—ireland party, it said, was being excluded. i travelled for that meeting and in an unprecedented way, the british government chose to seek to exclude the leader of sinn fein from a leaders' meeting. the whole thing is absolutely bizarre.

the government said the leader of sinn fein at stormont, michelle 0'neill, was invited. it's understood it's not protocol for the foreign secretary to meet the opposition leader of the irish parliament before meeting his irish counterpart. the dup, who are blocking a return to power sharing, emphasised their opposition to checks on goods coming to northern ireland, which it wants the eu to scrap. this was an invaluable opportunity for us to put forward our concerns. they recognise that a deal with the eu that doesn't work for unionistsjust isn't going to fly. so i think it was a useful discussion, in that respect. the foreign secretary denied excluding sinn fein from the talks as he heard about the problems with the protocol at this garden centre, which is struggling to get plants and seeds over from britain because of the eu's rules. for some other businesses, there are advantages.

i got to hear about what elements of the protocol were working, and i had that from both politicians and business leaders. what i want to do is make sure that the resolution to this protects the things that need to be protected and are working, but address the very real concerns that have been raised with me. ending the political stalemate in northern ireland depends on the uk's negotiations with the eu. and although there has been a recent breakthrough on sharing data on trade, there is still no sign of a deal which would persuade the dup to go back into power sharing. another deadline for restoring a government looms next week, all but certain to come and go without a resolution. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. the family of a british—iranian man who's been sentenced to death in iran have told the bbc that he's now been moved to solitary confinement in readiness for his execution. the wife of alireza akbari told bbc

persian she had been asked to come to the prison for a final meeting. mr akbari, who served as iran's deputy defence minister, was arrested in 2019 and convicted of spying for the uk, a charge he denied. the foreign office says this is a politically—motivated act by a barbaric regime and called on and iran to release him. joining me now is rana rahimpour from the bbc persian service. tell us a little bit more about this case on what is at stake. mr akbari was the deputy _ case on what is at stake. mr akbari was the deputy defence _ case on what is at stake. mr akbari was the deputy defence minister. was the deputy defence minister between 1997 and 2005. according to his wife, with whom we spoke earlier, he has been in for three years and three months, of which ten months was in solitary confinement. we received a video message on which mr akbari says he has been tortured for three and a half thousand hours during that period. he was forced to

take psychedelic drugs, he was forced to confess to crimes that he has not committed in front of several cameras. and in part of his interview, oraudiophile, he says iran is seeking to take revenge from the uk by executing him. and some analysts believe the reason is that last week we heard that the uk is preparing to call iran's revolutionary guards a terrorist organisation, and some believe that there might be a link between that decision and the decision to execute mr akbari. a , decision and the decision to execute mr akbari. n, , ., ., mr akbari. many thanks for the latest. while we have been on air, the news has come in of the death of the rock guitaristjeff beck, at the age of 78. jeff beck, who played with the

yardbirds and jeff beck group died yesterday. often described as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, winning 8 grammys, beck — whose fingers and thumbs were famously insured for £7 million — was known as a keen innovator. before we go, let's talk about the future of the world—famous elgin marbles, held at the british museum. or to give them their proper name, the parthenon sculptures. they were removed from greece in the 19th century by the british diplomat and soldier lord elgin and the greeks have campaigned for decades for their return. here they are in their full, sublime glory. the culture secretary michelle donelan said clearly today that they belong in the uk. the museum is not allowed to return the artworks permanently to greece but the museum is said to be negotiating a deal that could involve the sculptures being loaned to athens.

our culture and media editor katie razzall has the story. greece has long demanded the return of the classical sculptures which have been in the british museum for more than two centuries. for months now, there have been reports that the museum chair, george osborne, is close to making a deal with the greek government. the culture secretary, though, says the marbles belong in the uk. i think it opens a complete can of worms. it would be a slippery slope. in an interview for the media show, michelle donelan said she won't allow a permanent return. i think sending them back is a dangerous road to go down. but also one that is prohibited in law. we're not about to change the law to facilitate that. it's important that we stand up and protect our culture. has george osborne, former chancellor, now chairman of the british museum, has he approached you about this? i've had several conversations with george osborne. i think it view on this has been misinterpreted, and certainly portrayed wrongly. in what way? well, he is not about to send

them back, basically. that's not his intention. he has no desire to do that. so, is a deal off the table? the british museum told the bbc, "we're not going to dismantle the museum's collection, that tells the story of our common humanity. we are, however, looking at long—term partnerships which would enable some of our greatest objects to be shared with audiences around the world." those who support returning the sculptures to greece believe there is some flexibility in the culture secretary's stance, even a former culture minister. what i thought was interesting was that she left wiggle room for what i think george osborne and the british museum want to do, which is to create a cultural partnership with greece, where it is possible for the parthenon sculptures to physically return to athens for a period of time, in return for some pre—eminent objects coming from athens to the british museum. and that would be a win—win for everybody. greece might not see that as a win, and here, michelle donnellan's words will likely be met with anger. this country believes the artworks were stolen by lord elgin from its parthenon temple in athens. the british museum says the diplomat

who removed them in 19th century had a permit to do so.