hello, i'm kasia madera. this is outside source. actor alec baldwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on a film set in 2021. cinematographer halyna hutchins died after baldwin fired a prop gun during rehearsals. also in the programme, mass strikes and protests are under way in france in response to president's macron�*s plan to raise the age of retirement by two years to 64. western allies announce what they describe as unprecedented new military help for ukraine as they try to change the dynamic on the battlefield.

welcome. we start with news from the us. the actor alec baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on a film set in october 2021. here's a quick reminder of the case. the cinematographer halyna hutchins was killed when alec baldwin fired a prop gun during rehearsals. the film's armourer has also been charged. to hear more about the charges, here's sierra gillespie from the law and crime network. the first charge here is involuntary manslaughter. it's pretty basic — itjust means that the prosecution has to prove there was negligence in this case, so that is whatjuries are going to have to decide eventually. in the state of new mexico, it's only a fourth—degree felony, so that would be 18 months injail and a $5,000 fine if baldwin were found guilty on that count. but the next count is the one we really want to focus on —

this is involuntary manslaughter commissionable of a lawful act, and this requires proof that there was more than just that simple negligence. so, on top of this fourth—degree felony, 18 months injail and a $5,000 fine, if baldwin could face a five—year prison sentence because baldwin could face a five—year prison sentence because a firearm was involved, so there's a lot on the table here for alec baldwin. the prosecutor in new mexico says the decision is in keeping with "commitment to pursue justice for all victims". we've heard from mr baldwin's attorney, who said they intend to fight those charges, which he called a "terrible miscarriage ofjustice". as we mentioned, the film's armourer, hannah guttierrez—reed, has also been charged. her lawyer says, "these charges are the result of a very "flawed investigation, and an inaccurate understanding "of the full facts." let's cross to david willis in los angeles. just talk us through this.

we've heard these charges a little bit earlier on, and there's a lot to get through here.— bit earlier on, and there's a lot to get through here. we've been hearing “ust recentl get through here. we've been hearing just recently from _ get through here. we've been hearing just recently from the _ get through here. we've been hearing just recently from the district - just recently from the district attorney in this case, mary carmack, and she's been giving some idea of the nature of this prosecution, how prosecutors intend to go ahead in bringing this case. she said that there was a sense of complacency, a lack of safety standards on the set of this film, rust. she said it was a fast and loose set, and which nobody was doing theirjob, and she expressed incredulity shared by many here in hollywood that a real gun was used rather than a fake one. she said had people on the set been doing their decent duties, halyna hutchins would still be alive. she said that together, it amounted to

negligence, which cost over into recklessness. in the words of the special prosecutor, this case demonstrated criminal disregard for safety. we demonstrated criminal disregard for safe . ~ ., ., demonstrated criminal disregard for safe .~ ., ., ., ., . safety. we saw the fatal and tragic consequences. _ safety. we saw the fatal and tragic consequences, but _ safety. we saw the fatal and tragic consequences, but in _ safety. we saw the fatal and tragic consequences, but in terms - safety. we saw the fatal and tragic consequences, but in terms of - safety. we saw the fatal and tragic consequences, but in terms of this charge of involuntary manslaughter, that could result in alec baldwin ending up injail. it that could result in alec baldwin ending up injail.— that could result in alec baldwin ending up injail. ending up in “ail. it could indeed, kasia, and — ending up injail. it could indeed, kasia, and because _ ending up injail. it could indeed, kasia, and because there - ending up injail. it could indeed, kasia, and because there was - ending up injail. it could indeed, kasia, and because there was a l ending up injail. it could indeed, i kasia, and because there was a gun involved, that could be potentially five years in jail if found guilty. most likely to happen now is charges will be brought before the end, sometime between now and the end of the month, and it could be a couple months after that before preliminary hearing and before this trial gets under way. we get some impression from alec baldwin's very defiant statement through his lawyers that

he is not up for any sort of plea deal unlike the first assistant director in this case, dave hall's, who reached a plea deal and is prepared to give evidence of these sort of circumstances that were taking place on this set and potentially the negligence involved on the set of rust.— on the set of rust. david, thanks very much- _ david willis in los angeles. let's turn to france and a make—or—break moment for president macron�*s agenda. a day of mass strikes is under way, in protest against the french president's bid to raise the official age of retirement from 62 to 64. this was the scene in the southwestern city of bordeaux earlier. similar rallies are taking place across the country. translation: it's degrading - when you reach the end of your life. you have to leave a few years for people to enjoy.

and then, as many unions have explained, what they are proposing is not really compatible with the arguments that they're putting forward. translation: i think what they're doing to us is very violent - translation: i think what they're doing to us is very violent and it's. no longer tolerable. we already have the cost of living increasing, which we can't manage any more because we have an average salary. we're those who are most taxed, so i don't know what to do, and i think it's time to show the government that we don't agree with their way of doing things. so, let's put this into context. pension reform was at the heart of macron�*s election campaign in 2022. raising the retirement age to 64 would bring france closer to its eu counterparts. across the bloc, the average retirement age is 65. but many are not happy. this is an mp from the left—wing party france unbowed. it's unfair and it's unnecessary. it's unfair because it's like a race to the battle that people - don't want to be part of. it's mainly focused on vulnerable -

workers who will work longer, women, who already have a disadvantage when it comes to retirement. - so, the most vulnerable will be hit even harder by this reform. - and it's also proving to be deeply unpopular among the public. a poll this week found that 68% are opposed to the measure. next, let's hear from a spokesperson for president macron�*s renaissance party. the way the french pensions system works is it's redistributed. workers contribute to the pensions of current retirees. when you have changing demographics — people demographics — people living longer, fewer workers to fund the pensions — then you have to work a little longer to be able to fund our system, to balance it and save it for future generations — and this is what we're doing right now. let's take a look at some of the numbers. according to france's ministry of economy, the proposed reform is set to bring

an extra $19.5 billion — that's nearly 18 million euros — in revenues by 2030. they also say it'll create up to 100,000 jobs by 2025. so, let's get the view from an economist. well, the changes are important, vital, and the pension has some financial difficulties. it's not a disaster, we are not close to a situation where everything will collapse. we have huge imbalances like, for example. — we have huge imbalances like, for example, in 2008. there are deficits that willjump up to significant amounts, so it's a question of life or death, — amounts, so it's a question of life or death, but it's important —— not a question— or death, but it's important —— not a question of— or death, but it's important —— not a question of life or death. sophie pedder is paris bureau chief for the economist and author of revolution francaise: emmanuel macron and the quest to reinvent a nation.

arguably, when we watch this across the english channel, we're looking at the age by which you want people to retire. it's much higher in the uk and across the european union. i guess there is an element of surprise that people feel so strongly about this. surprise that people feel so stronal about this. . ., strongly about this. indeed, and one ofthe strongly about this. indeed, and one of the reasons _ strongly about this. indeed, and one of the reasons will _ strongly about this. indeed, and one of the reasons will why _ strongly about this. indeed, and one of the reasons will why president - of the reasons will why president macron wants to raise the retirement age is to bring france into the same sort of category of age for the most of the other countries in europe. but to understand the french situation, you have to go back a little bit further in recent history. france wall brought down the age from 65 to 60... it's secure this right to retire and it's finding it very difficult to not understand or accept that partly for accounting reasons, but also because

france wants to want to raise the participation rate in the workforce. very people work after the age of 55 there, and for the general reasons of increasing participation in the market, he wants to get more people to work longer. it's not a pleasant message. people don't want to hear that. but it's a reality for france if it wants to come into line with the rest of europe.— if it wants to come into line with the rest of europe. when it comes to the rest of europe. when it comes to the eo - le the rest of europe. when it comes to the peeple who _ the rest of europe. when it comes to the people who are _ the rest of europe. when it comes to the people who are out _ the rest of europe. when it comes to the people who are out striking, - the rest of europe. when it comes to the people who are out striking, i'ml the people who are out striking, i'm getting a note that around 50% of edx workforce took part in the nationwide strikes. across the board, how much impact as it had and what kind of people are out on the streets? unions are saying more strikes will be planned towards the end of january. strikes will be planned towards the end ofjanuary. i strikes will be planned towards the end ofjanuary-_ strikes will be planned towards the end ofjanuary-— end ofjanuary. i think it's important _ end ofjanuary. i think it's important to _ end ofjanuary. i think it's important to see - end ofjanuary. i think it's important to see this - end ofjanuary. i think it's important to see this as l end ofjanuary. i think it's important to see this as a end ofjanuary. i think it's - important to see this as a first day of what's going to be probably a

couple of months of really difficult times for france. you've got the government's on numbers suggesting that over1 million people are on the streets today, so that number's huge. it does show that the unions have a an ability to bring people out on the street. it's affecting some of the mostly public transport, some of the mostly public transport, some oil refineries and other sectors as well. the real question is how does this play out? you've got a clear demonstration of force on day one. there's already an strike they plan —— a strike they plan. it's becoming a war of attrition to see whether it's the street or the government that wins. the key to me is what happens to public opinion. at the moment, it's behind of the strikers and the protesters. that will change over

time. whether or not people still feel that's a justified protest, that's what's going to make the difference in whether this strike will force the government will back down or whether macron will hold firm. ~ , firm. we will be back with you, sohie, firm. we will be back with you, sophie. from — firm. we will be back with you, sophie, from the _ firm. we will be back with you, sophie, from the economist, i firm. we will be back with you, - sophie, from the economist, thank you very much for your assessment. more public sector workers are on strike today here in the uk. in total, around a quarter of hospitals and community services are affected. so, let's take a look at which areas are affected. nurses in england are walking out for the second day in a row as part of a row over pay. bus drivers in south and west london are also staging a round of industrial action. teachers in parts of scotland are continuing their 16—day wave of rolling strikes. and more than 1,000 ambulance workers across wales are striking

over pay and conditions, in the first day of action by the unite union. here's our wales correspondent, hywel griffith, about the potential impact of these ambulance strikes across the country. we know that the unite members make up we know that the unite members make up about a quarter of the welsh ambulance workforce in wales, so it will probably be similar with the gmb union was out. we know that arrangements are in place, workers are prepared to respond to urgent calls. but people have been warned to be extra cautious not to take extra risks on these strike days. nurses have been on the picket line across the country. one, two, three, four, five, keep the nhs — one, two, three, four, five, keep the nhs alive!

this was in euston in london, and ada ferenkeh—koroma, a rheumatology nurse, joined them on the picket line. she's the first thing in front with the megaphone. —— person in front. shejoins me in the studio now. she has been on the picket line over the past couple days. welcome. we saw you in those images. we see the passion with which you and the other nurses had a, wejust wonder passion with which you and the other nurses had a, we just wonder how you feel about having to be out on the streets on the picket line?- streets on the picket line? thank ou, streets on the picket line? thank you. kasia, _ streets on the picket line? thank you. kasia, and _ streets on the picket line? thank you, kasia, and i— streets on the picket line? thank you, kasia, and i think— streets on the picket line? thank you, kasia, and i think it's- streets on the picket line? thank you, kasia, and i think it's very l you, kasia, and i think it's very sad. we did it with a very heavy heart. we did it to save patients' lives. the situation as it is cannot continue. it's not sustainable. a lot of nurses are under pressure financially. people are leaving the front line, and it is so burdened that it's the rest of us that have to carry the burden because we have

chosen to stay. they hope this opportunity opens the door for the government to at least listen to us. and when you say that you're doing it to save lives, arguably you're away from your patients. how does that make you feel? it away from your patients. how does that make you feel?— away from your patients. how does that make you feel? it saddens me, but what i have _ that make you feel? it saddens me, but what i have to _ that make you feel? it saddens me, but what i have to say _ that make you feel? it saddens me, but what i have to say is _ that make you feel? it saddens me, but what i have to say is nurses, - but what i have to say is nurses, patients will always and have always been our first priority. safe patient care is our priority, so even though we've walked out, the patients we have spoken to are fully in support of the strike action. they see day—to—day what we go through. they see day-to-day what we go throu~h. ~ , ., they see day-to-day what we go throu~h. ~ i. . ~ . through. when you talk about the reasoninus through. when you talk about the reasonings behind _ through. when you talk about the reasonings behind getting - through. when you talk about the reasonings behind getting to - through. when you talk about the reasonings behind getting to this| reasonings behind getting to this stage, having you guys on the streets, give us an indication of how difficult it is for you in terms of how much you earn as a rheumatology nurse.-

of how much you earn as a rheumatology nurse. so, as a specialist _ rheumatology nurse. so, as a specialist rheumatology - rheumatology nurse. so, as a. specialist rheumatology nurse, rheumatology nurse. so, as a - specialist rheumatology nurse, i've trained for over ten years. i did my standard undergraduate... diploma qualification. then i went back and did a health studies degree, then i did a health studies degree, then i did a health studies degree, then i did a masters degree. i am highly trained to provide my patients with phenomenal standard care. how much do ou phenomenal standard care. how much do you earn — phenomenal standard care. how much do you earn for— phenomenal standard care. how much do you earn for that, _ phenomenal standard care. how much do you earn for that, you _ phenomenal standard care. how much do you earn for that, you mind - phenomenal standard care. how much do you earn for that, you mind me - do you earn for that, you mind me asking? do you earn for that, you mind me askin: ? ., ., ., asking? so, without going too into detail, for the _ asking? so, without going too into detail, for the level _ asking? so, without going too into detail, for the level of _ asking? so, without going too into detail, for the level of service - detail, for the level of service that i give and for the years of commitment i've shown to the nhs, i feel as though at the moment, with the current financial crisis, it means i'm barely surviving on my salary rather than living. i want to be able to go to a job that i fully clearly enjoy. when my patients come

to see me, the encounterfor them is quite fulfilling. they know they're supported and cared for. but i know the burden that i have to go through underneath it all. financially, it's not sustainable, and i'm hoping that after this strike, we'll at least have an opportunity to be offered affair paid in line with inflation —— a fair pay. i won't have to worry about putting the heating on, nothing will times would have to worry about now. tough choices, putting the heating on and not affording to pay your mortgage, putting the heating on and not affording to buy the essentials in a shopping week with your groceries, etc. it also means extracurricular activities for our children can no longer be afforded. all of those

have had to be cut. to be able to do a job that i love so much, i'm hoping that i shouldn't have to continue like this, and at some point, i hope the government and the prime minister will listen. and i say this notjust prime minister will listen. and i say this not just for senior prime minister will listen. and i say this notjust for senior nurses are qualified nurses, i say this in the best interests of the patients, because nurses like us, the nhs has invested so much and we don't want to leave the front line and go into private sector work. we hope we can keep fonts on the front line to offer the patient�*s care that we have trained for over so many years. we appreciate your frankness, ada. thank you. let's turn to the war in ukraine. a group of 11 countries have announced what they say is unprecedented new military help for kyiv,

including main battle tanks. at today's meeting of european defence ministers in estonia, the uk pledged to send 600 brimstone anti—tank missiles. it's already promised 14 tanks. sweden and denmark will donate heavy artillery systems, and estonia is increasing its military assistance to 1% of its gdp. here's the estonian defence minister. estonian government has just today decided to support ukraine with the biggest military aid package to date. worth of 113 million euros. its centrepiece are fh synergy 155 million minorsjust its centrepiece are fh synergy 155 million minors just behind its centrepiece are fh synergy 155 million minorsjust behind me —— millimetres. but the package also consist of howitzers, grenade launchers, vehicles and a considerable amount of artillery and

other ammunition. let's hear more of what the uk is offering from defence minister ben wallace. we will send at least three batteries of a is 9155long—range deep _ batteries of a is 9155long—range deep fire — batteries of a is 9155long—range deep fire or theory —— artillery. armoured _ deep fire or theory —— artillery. armoured vehicle including the bulldog — armoured vehicle including the bulldog carrier, thousands of rounds of ammunition and today, i can say we're _ of ammunition and today, i can say we're going — of ammunition and today, i can say we're going to send another 600 brimstone — we're going to send another 600 brimstone missiles into theatre, which _ brimstone missiles into theatre, which wiii— brimstone missiles into theatre, which will be incredibly important to help _ which will be incredibly important to help ukraine dominate the battlefield. has been announced so far, it's more missiles _ has been announced so far, it's more missiles and — has been announced so far, it's more missiles and howitzers _ has been announced so far, it's more missiles and howitzers and _ has been announced so far, it's more missiles and howitzers and anti—tankl missiles and howitzers and anti—tank weapons, _ missiles and howitzers and anti—tank weapons, some— missiles and howitzers and anti—tank weapons, some more _ missiles and howitzers and anti—tank weapons, some more fighting - missiles and howitzers and anti—tank. weapons, some more fighting infantry vehicles _ weapons, some more fighting infantry vehicles things — weapons, some more fighting infantry vehicles. things like _ weapons, some more fighting infantry vehicles. things like that _ weapons, some more fighting infantry

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waiting for documents from the countries who have respective rights. poland is ready. to be honest, finland, portugal, spain and many other countries are ready to provide the tanks they have. we are waiting for consents by the country who has a respective licence. let's turn to the front lines, where the weapons are most needed. the eastern town of soledar is a key battleground because of its proximity to bakhmut, a crucial supply route. our correspondent andrew harding has sent this special report from there. incoming artillery fire as we arrive close to the front line. a lot of incoming. a quick run for cover. we're in an area where russian and ukrainian infantry now appear to be fighting at close quarters. i'm going through remains of a house here, hit by a shell. towards the ukrainian position. we're just hearing small arms

fire as well as this heavy artillery fire, which means that the russian lines are very close. in fact, we're hearing they're just maybe a kilometre away across the fields behind me. ukrainian troops firing from the outskirts of the nearby town of soledar there clinging on here. but soledar itself is now in russian hands, the kremlin's first significant victory in months. you've lost territory here, you've lost soledar? we have a quite tough situation here, so, but it's a controlled situation anyway. sometimes, it's really better to take a step back, but destroy the enemy. then after that, to make attack and to already crush enemy completely. we destroy each day 50, 100 enemy people.

ukrainian drone footage appears to back that up. a russian position here coming under artillery attack. several wounded russian soldiers visible in the aftermath. ukraine is losing men, too. but medics insist morale remains high. but they ask me, "man, doc, when can i return to my boys? they don't say, "oh, thanks, god, i'm wounded now i can relax and so on." no. careful, careful. very active front lines this morning. the ukrainians have withdrawn, but they're now trying to pound russian positions as hard as they can to prevent them from advancing here and encircling the next bigger prize, which is the town of bakhmut,

which the ukrainians have been defending fiercely for months now. ok, let's go. time to leave a fluid front line that is costing both sides so much. andrew harding, bbc news near soledar, ukraine., the ongoing war in ukraine. we have a special section in our website dedicated to the war with lots more detail. just remind your main story — alec bolden will be charged with involuntary manslaughter over suiting halyna hutchins, killed on a film shut when he fired a prop gun. it happened at a ranch in october in santa fe, new mexico. —— october 21.

don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter — i'm @kasiamadera. it would be great for to hear from you. bye for now. hello. it's been a day of sunny spells and scattered wintry showers, but the worst of the wintry weather is now over. over the next few days, we will see it gradually turning milder. some blue skies yet to come, but it will be getting cloudier, but it will be getting cloudier as well and unsettled for many of us. we are still in this arctic air flow, but not for long — waiting in the wings here is some mild air that is moving further across the uk at the moment, but it is slow. and as we get this mild air, we'll also be seeing a change in the weather — more unsettled, cloudier with bits of rain for many of us as well. but into tonight, some wintry showers are continuing to move southwards across scotland and the north sea coast, some strong winds in this area as well. but for many of us, it will be a cold, dry night — although there is a risk of ice in the north and western

parts, and the northeast of england as well. temperatures dipping down to below freezing — —5 celsius in some parts of scotland. so, a widespread frost tomorrow, with bits of fog and mist for parts of the west could be slow to clear. but generally tomorrow, a dry and fine day. the odd shower possible with this little weather feature in the southeast, some strong winds with this, as well. feature in the southeast, some strong winds with this as well. temperatures getting up to 8 celsius — so still a cold day, but starting to get a little bit milder. now, as we head into friday, high pressure is in charge for the majority of the country, but we've got this system of low pressure that's moving across the north, and we're starting to see some effects from this system — as you can see, as we go into saturday, it is cloudy with some bits of rain for parts of the northwest. the further south and east you are, it will be drier and colder, some bits of fog and mist could be slow to clear. but generally, more in the way of sunshine in this area — top temperatures up to 10 celsius far north, so we are seeing a little bit of a change. into sunday, then, the same pattern gradually gets cloudier, some bits of rain here and there, some fresh winds along the coasts.

the best of the sunshine on sunday will be the southeast and parts of northeast of scotland. top temperatures up to 10 celsius. and as we head out of the weekend, this mild air is enveloping the majority of the country — although the far southeast is holding onto that arctic air for a little while longer. so, the trend, as we head into monday, tuesday, wednesday is it'll be mainly unsettled and cloudy further northwest. the southeast willjust be a little bit slower to catch up.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. actor alec baldwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on a film set in 2021. also in the programme... climate experts warn that we need to "urgently ramp up" technology that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. and a shock announcement from new zealand — jacinda ardern quits herjob as prime minister. the hollywood actor alec baldwin is being charged with the involuntary manslaughter of the cinematographer halyna hutchins, who was shot dead

on the set of the film rust. the film's armourer will face the same charge after a gun that the actor discharged on set was found to contain ammunition. sophie long has the latest from los angeles. the frantic efforts to save halyna hutchins in the moments after she was shot. it was during rehearsals on the set at a ranch in new mexico when the shootings and death depicted on the 19th—century western they were filming became all too real. alec baldwin was holding the gun that discharged the bullet that killed her. he was also one of the film's producers. he now faces two charges of involuntary manslaughter. in a statement, the actor's lawyer said, "this decision distorts halyna hutchins's tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice.

mr baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun or anywhere on the set." the film's armourer, who loaded the gun, hannah gutierrez—reed, faces the same charges. first assistant director, david halls, has pled guilty to negligent discharge of a deadly weapon. the santa fe district attorney said... halyna was survived by her young son and husband. after reaching a settlement in a wrongful death suit, he said filming of rust would resume. the criminal charges are a devastating impact for mr baldwin. —— devastating development for mr baldwin. he said he was heartbroken tjy baldwin. he said he was heartbroken by the incident. sham baldwin. he said he was heartbroken by the incident.— by the incident. am i being charged for the incident? _ he has always denied responsibility for the death, saying he had been told the gun was safe. his lawyer says they will fight the charges and they will win. when the head of the united nations appeared before business leaders at the world economic forum in davos yesterday, antonio guterres gave another stark warning

about the state of the climate. we are flirting with climate disaster. every week brings a new climate horror story. greenhouse gas emissions are at record levels and growing. experts say we need to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees by 2100. but it's widely agreed that we're not on track to reach that — and carbon dioxide emissions play a big part of that. co2 is the main gas warming the planet. it's emitted when fossil fuels such as gas and oil are burnt. to tackle this, 136 countries have pledged to get to net zero emissions by 2050. net zero means a country dramatically reduces carbon emissions, and then absorbs what's left. many experts fear these big cuts alone won't be enough to stop global warming. well, a new report by oxford university looks at another side of this equation,

carbon dioxide removal — taking out carbon that's already in the atmosphere. here's lead author steve smith. to fix the climate problem we're in, the obvious thing to do is stop adding to the problem, so we need clear, deep emissions reductions and very quickly. this report doesn't change that, but what points to is the fact that increasingly, we have a number of ways of taking carbon dioxide back out of the atmosphere that we put in and lock it away. the oxford university study suggests two billion tonnes of carbon is removed each year. nearly all of that through natural processes, like plants and trees taking in co2 from the air, and the soil absorbing and storing it. there are new technologies too, including places which burn bio—matter, capture the co2 and then bury it. other technologies involve removing carbon directly from the air. the report says that at momentjust 0.1% of carbon removal comes from these newer technologies. let's hear from

dr steve smith again. atjust a smaller scale, some of them are more expensive, but what really need to do is support those in helping the cost down while we reduce emissions — so that in 20—30 years' time, hopefully when emissions are much lower and these removals can also be at scale, and we can get to net zero emissions and beyond. the use of technology —— the technology has some critics. bbc environment correspondent jonah fisher explains. they see it as a distraction from what everyone agrees is the big issue, which is we need to massively cut them amount of carbon dioxide we are putting into the atmosphere. —— cut the amount. and the report does state that carbon dioxide removal "is not a silver a bullet," to the emissions issue. it also stressed that growing carbon removal technologies need "urgent and comprehensive policy support that is tailored to specific national contexts." well, stuart haszeldine, from the university

of edinburgh, joins us. and stuart, you're the world's first professor of carbon capture and storage. just put this into context for us — welcome. we are hearing so much about it missions and the importance of reducing emission levels, but you are the professor of caption and storage — how does that compare, and when we think about removal, as well, because we are talking about different things here?— different things here? you're quite correct, different things here? you're quite correct. as — different things here? you're quite correct, as steve _ different things here? you're quite correct, as steve smith _ different things here? you're quite correct, as steve smith explains i different things here? you're quite correct, as steve smith explains in your short piece, we need to do at least three things because we are emitting more and more carbon dioxide every year, as the united nations quote came in from dallas today. the world has not got anywhere near on track to where we need to be. so the three things we need to be. so the three things we need to be. so the three things we need to do are using less fuel and becoming more efficient, to greatly reduce our extraction and consumption of fossil fuel, and we

need to build more efficient and renewable energies — on its own, that's nowhere near enough. so we need to decrease emissions, where we've got industry is putting carbon dioxide into the air and burning fossil fuels, dioxide into the air and burning fossilfuels, etc — dioxide into the air and burning fossil fuels, etc — and that's where carbon capture and storage will put that carbon back underground where it came from in geological storage the last hundreds of thousands of years out in the environment. in the third thing we need to do, as this report talks about carbon dioxide removal where we extract the already admitted carbon dioxide from the air, because there's too many carbon dioxide there already — we put that back underground into geological storage where it stays out of the climate system for hundreds of thousands of years. so this is a big development opportunity for lots of new industries that need to be innovated, scaled up, and become

routine. i innovated, scaled up, and become routine. , ., _, , routine. i 'ust wonder when it comes to this routine. i just wonder when it comes to this idea — routine. i just wonder when it comes to this idea of— routine. i just wonder when it comes to this idea of capture _ routine. i just wonder when it comes to this idea of capture and _ routine. i just wonder when it comes to this idea of capture and removal, | to this idea of capture and removal, you'll need a lot of new stuff to be built in order to facilitate this and ramp up the possibilities of this. that in turn leads to more co2 emissions. how do you balance it out? ~ , ., emissions. how do you balance it out? ~ ., �* ., , out? well, you don't need to build lots of equipment _ out? well, you don't need to build lots of equipment necessarily - lots of equipment necessarily because, as was touched on briefly, some of the least cost carbon capture can be using trees and soil, and using biomass, and that requires very little equipment. but that's not enough, so we need to go to a more industrial type of solution to solve this industrially created problem. so we will need to produce notjust problem. so we will need to produce not just trees, problem. so we will need to produce notjust trees, but problem. so we will need to produce not just trees, but turn some problem. so we will need to produce notjust trees, but turn some of those trees into charcoal where we can bury the charcoal and take carbon into the ground for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. and we also need to think about using some

of that forestry would for burning combustion to make electricity — again, we can capture the carbon dioxide from that and bury it underground, which enables us to produce a positive environment benefit. but that requires modifications that are under way, that's starting to happen now. the big thing which has not yet happened is to build machines to capture carbon dioxide from the air, and those machines use different sorts of chemistry and processes. and those have the advantage that those can be built rapidly, they can be scaled up to become very large systems — but they have the disadvantage that, at the moment, they are quite expensive and they use a lot of energy. so we need to both invent new methods and innovate and improve, and make more efficient, cheaper methods available. this has been done when

we invented mobile phones, they were very big, and how tiny they were. then when we invented aeroplanes — the first aeroplane was a novelty, but within 20 years, flights became not routine, but possible across the english channel, across the atlantic. in 50 years after the innovation of the invention, we have routine aeroplane flights. so the scale and improvement of technology can genuinely help, so we need to pay attention to what governments can do to help that advance very quickly. we would need to invent lots of different processes now in the next ten years, and then spent another 10—20 years after that improving. it’s another 10-20 years after that improving-— another 10-20 years after that imrovin.. . improving. it's a great comparison that makes _ improving. it's a great comparison that makes it _ improving. it's a great comparison that makes it very _ improving. it's a great comparison that makes it very easy _ improving. it's a great comparison that makes it very easy to - that makes it very easy to understand. professor, thank you. thank you. levelling up has been one of the uk government's key policies. the idea is to spread public money

more evenly across the country. today government ministers announced more than £2 billion worth of projects. they say the north of england and wales will do best, per head of population. but the uk's opposition labour party claims the system for allocating money is unfair. here's our political correspondent david wallace lockhart. blackpool — one area that was a winner in today's levelling up allocation announcement, with £40 million for a new education campus. levelling up is a relatively new political phrase whose meaning is still not entirely clear. at a nearby warm bank last night where people go to get a hot meal and some company, it's not a term that everyone's familiar with. the trust that runs this service hope levelling up can address geographical disparities. i think we've seen an awful lot of support to areas in the past where we almost looked and said, "don't forget about us up north." if this is a genuine opportunity for that type of support to come,

then we are in the north of the country, we are where the need is, so let's level up and make sure the support is appropriate right across the country. some have questioned how today's money has been allocated. the chancellor and the prime minister were spending their own cash in accrington this morning and defending how the government spent its money. we're investing hundreds of millions of pounds across the north in dozens of projects. i'm here talking to you from accrington, i'm off to morecambe after this and then off to the north—east. and the thing you need to know, actually, if you look at the funding, and you compare it to the number of people who live in each region, the region that has done the best in the amount of funding per person is the north. that's where we are today. that's why we are here talking to you in accrington market, these are the places benefiting from the funding. we are investing in local communities — this is levelling up in action. many are sceptical about the entire levelling up process overseen by government departments in whitehall, that essentially sees councils compete against one another for money. labour wants to see power moved out

of westminster and are critical of the geographical spread of today's funding announcements. i don't think it's fair. i think it's completely wrong - that the north—east, for example, is one of the biggest losers today when there's huge potential in i the north—east and also huge need. i don't think anyone - looking at this process, tory mps are up in arms today, l lots of people around the country who lost out completely. i don't think anyone thinks this system is fair. - one think tank based in the north of england says levelling up needs from projects in shetland, to gateshead, to dover. this funding allocation touches many parts of the uk, but plenty parts of the country aren't getting extra cash and many remain doubtful that this funding can truly reshape the country. david wallace lockhart, bbc news. let's turn to new zealand — international leaders are paying tribute to prime minister, jacinda ardern, who's said she'll step down next month. ms ardern said that after almost six years as new zealand's leader

during challenging times, she no longer had enough "in the tank" to go on. this has been the most fulfilling five—and—a—half years of my life. but it's also had its challenges. i know what this job takes, and i know that i no longer have enough in the tank to do itjustice. it's that simple. her australian counterpart, anthony alban—easy said ms ardern has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength, and demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities. —— anthony albanese. and canada's prime minister, justin trudeau thanked ms ardern "for your partnership and yourfriendship and for your empathic, compassionate, strong, and steady leadership." but reactions amongst new zealand's public are mixed. am i sad that she's resigned? not really. she did everything she could during the pandemic, kept a lot of people say.

—— a lot of people say. —— safe. yeah, i think she'll have a great legacy. internationally, we'll be good. locally, her reputation's gone. i'm devastated that she's resigning. let's get some background onjacinda ardern. she became the world's youngest female head of government in 2017, aged 37. she was also only the second female leader to give birth while in office — pakistani politician benazir bhutto was the first. she led the labour party to a landslide election victory in 2020, capitalising on her government's strong early response to the covid pandemic. here's former new zealand prime minister, helen clark. jacinda has done an incredible job for new zealand. she's positioned us internationally, she's led us through significant crises in new zealand, she's got a major economic and social policy legacy. it's a sad day for me to see her go. now let's look at her main political achievements over the last five—and—a—half years.

as helen clark mentioned, she steered new zealand through the covid pandemic and ensuing recession. she was also praised for her leadership after the 2019 christchurch mosque shootings, and the white island volcanic eruption which killed 22 people. in her resignation speech, she said she was proud of her government's work on climate change, social housing and reducing child poverty. here's political researcher lara greaves. her covid response was known as being world—leading. we had relatively few deaths, we had that lockdown — and she had an incredibly good communicative style and brought a lot of new zealanders along with her throughout that. she also responded to other crises, like the white island eruption and the christchurch terrorist attack, as well. so she'll really be thought of as a crisis prime minister. but while ms ardern was often seen as a political star globally, opinion polls suggest she was increasingly unpopular at home.

the latest opinion polls put her personal popularity at 29% — the lowest since she was elected. that's still ahead of the opposition leader, christopher luxon. approval of her party is similarly low at 33%, lower than the rival national party, which is on 38%. here's laura clark, a former british high commissioner to new zealand. i think it's always the case, there's always a challenge i of incumbency, right, _ particularly when you're coming out of a pandemic when you've got the economic crisis going on. i and so i think it's always harder — you know, domestic audiences i are perhaps always more challenging than international audiences are. - ms ardern cited burn—out as the reason for resigning. she said just under six "challenging" years in the job had taken a toll. here's estonian pm kaja kallas. i totally resonate with her, i totally understand — this job takes a toll on you as a person and on your

family, as well, especially when you are a woman and there are maybe standards for women, as there are not so many. but gender politics professor hilde coffe says jacinda ardern's premiership has set an example for others. especially for women — and maybe in particular for younger women — that it was attractive and she, you know, made a difference, showing that a young woman who then also becomes a mother during her time as prime minister, you can be a leader and leading a country. stay with us on outside source. still to come: playing with the powers of zeus. scientists use a laser beam to control lightning bolts for the first time.

the bafta nominations have been announced — honouring the best in british and internationalfilms all quiet on the western front leads the nominations. here's lizo mzimba. the all quiet on the western front team will be celebrating. the drama, which contrasts the youthful fervour of a young recruit with the reality of war leads the way with 14 nominations, including best film, best director, and best supporting actor for albrecht schuch. there are ten nominations for the multi—universe fantasy everything everywhere all at once. it's up for best film and best director, and its stars michelle yeoh and ke huy quan are also recognised. ijust don't like you no more. brendan gleeson and colin farrell are among the ten nominations for the banshees of inisherin, a film about two close friends falling out, a situation that perhaps mirrors... you do like me. ..widening disagreements... i don't. ..between the views of awards

voters and audiences. take top gun: maverick, one of the box office smashes of 2022, but a reminder of the way that opinion has split between the public and the baftas. it's nominated in four technical categories but not best film or best actor. let's try not to get fired on the first day. and while the original avatar had thejoint most bafta nominations back in 2010, its massively successful sequel is only up for best sound and best effects. in other areas where awards shows are striving to stay relevant, bafta will be pleased. mandy walker is only the second woman ever to be nominated for cinematography, for elvis. and ten of the 24 acting nominees belong to ethnic minorities including black panther: wakanda forever�*s angela bassett and triangle of sadness's dolly de leon. this is really, really bad. lizo mzimba, bbc news.

this is outside source, live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is... the hollywood star alec baldwin is charged over the death of cinematographer hayna hutchins, who was shot dead on the set of rust. —— halyna hutchins. in a world first, scientists have developed a laser that can divert lightning. we know lighting bolts cause huge amounts of damage. they're about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. more than a billion strike earth each year, causing thousands of deaths and damage that runs into tens of billions of dollars. a group of around 25 researchers say they have a solution. the european laser lightning rod project hopes that its work will move protection from lightning strikes beyond us founding father benjamin franklin's lightning rod.

until now, franklin's18th—century invention was the best protection available. this project is headed by professorjean—pierre wolf, from the university of geneva's department of physics, whojoins us from geneva. you've taken something we've been using since the 18th century and beyond the 21st century. explain to us, a laser beam that controls lightning?— lightning? yes, actually the liuahtnin lightning? yes, actually the lightning rod _ lightning? yes, actually the lightning rod from - lightning? yes, actually the| lightning rod from benjamin lightning? yes, actually the - lightning rod from benjamin franklin works very well for small infrastructures like houses or churches because it's effective over a region that's about the size of its height. so if you have a ten metre high lightning rod, you would protect a zone which is ten metres in diameter. that's fine in most

cases, but imagine now you have a large infrastructure that has to be protected from lightning, like an electrical power plant or satellite launching pad, oran airport electrical power plant or satellite launching pad, or an airport or refineries — then having a lightning rod of 2—300 metre length is not possible. and then we had the idea to you that —— to use the air itself is a lightning rod. because by using a laser, you can actually make the air electrically conductive. then they follow the ionised path in the air and conducted to the earth. so it's a virtual lightning rod because you make the lightning but you make it conductive with a laser. mr; you make the lightning but you make it conductive with a laser.— it conductive with a laser. my brain is 'ust it conductive with a laser. my brain isjust spinning _ it conductive with a laser. my brain isjust spinning right _ it conductive with a laser. my brain isjust spinning right now, - it conductive with a laser. my brain isjust spinning right now, so - it conductive with a laser. my brain isjust spinning right now, so hang| isjust spinning right now, so hang on, the laser beam itself, is at the

ionised air that we see, the effect of green zooming like that you just see in sci—fi films? 50 of green zooming like that you 'ust see in sci-fi films?i see in sci-fi films? so the green liuht is see in sci-fi films? so the green light is the _ see in sci-fi films? so the green light is the laser _ see in sci-fi films? so the green light is the laser itself. - see in sci-fi films? so the green light is the laser itself. you - see in sci-fi films? so the green| light is the laser itself. you don't really see the ionised air — but of course, you see it when the lightning goes through it, and then of course you see these nice lightning bolts that everybody knows, very light and very noisy. but if you don't have the lightning strike, you don't see the ionisation within, you see the laser. so on picture, what you see is the laser beam. 50 picture, what you see is the laser beam. picture, what you see is the laser beam, ., picture, what you see is the laser beam. . , , . beam. so we are seeing beautiful imaaes beam. so we are seeing beautiful ima . es of beam. so we are seeing beautiful images of switzerland's _ beam. so we are seeing beautifull images of switzerland's mountains beam. so we are seeing beautiful i images of switzerland's mountains - images of switzerland's mountains — tell us where you are conducting these experiments, and why are we only hearing about this now?- only hearing about this now? that's a very good — only hearing about this now? that's a very good point- _ only hearing about this now? that's a very good point. i _ only hearing about this now? that's a very good point. i eventually - only hearing about this now? that's| a very good point. i eventually been working on this topic for 20 years, so it's quite a long time. and it

was quite a difficult task to achieve. why we've been to the mountains is because these mountains in switzerland, there are one of those locations most often struck by lightning, 2—400 times a year. so it was perfect for such a demonstration experiment. irate was perfect for such a demonstration experiment-_ was perfect for such a demonstration exeriment. ~ ., �* . . experiment. we don't have much time, but in terms — experiment. we don't have much time, but in terms of — experiment. we don't have much time, but in terms of the _ experiment. we don't have much time, but in terms of the difference _ experiment. we don't have much time, but in terms of the difference this - but in terms of the difference this would make where can we potentially use this? you mentioned airports? airports, yeah, electrical power plants, wind turbine farms, refineries, nuclear power plants, launching pads for rockets, etc. so when you need a very long lightning rod and you cannot do it with a traditional mean, like a metallic stick. and the other advantage of a

laser rod like this is that you can just switch it on or off... you can switch on — just switch it on or off... you can switch on or— just switch it on or off... you can switch on or off, _ just switch it on or off... you can switch on or off, that's _ just switch it on or off... you can switch on or off, that's the - switch on or off, that's the important bit, the honour of switch. thank you so much for sharing that and per dummett congratulations on that laser lightning feed. hello. it's been a day of sunny spells and scattered wintry showers. but the worst of the wintry weather is now over. over the next few days, we will see it gradually turning milder. some blue skies yet to come, but it will be getting cloudier, as well, and unsettled for many of us. we are still in this arctic air flow, but not for long — waiting in the wings here is some mild air that is moving further across the uk at the moment, but it is slow. and as we get this mild air, we'll also be seeing a change in the weather — more unsettled, cloudier with bits of rain for many of us, as well. but into tonight, some wintry showers are continuing to move southwards across scotland and the north sea coast, some strong winds in this area, as well. but for many of us, it will be a cold, dry night — although there is a risk of ice in the north and western parts, and the northeast of england, as well.

temperatures dipping down to below freezing — —5 celsius in some parts of scotland. so a widespread frost tomorrow, with bits of fog and mist for parts of the west could be slow to clear. but generally tomorrow, a dry and fine day. the odd shower possible with this little weather feature in the southeast, some strong winds with this, as well. temperatures getting up to eight celsius — so still a cold day, but starting to get a little bit milder. now as we head into friday, high pressure is in charge for the majority of the country, but we've got this system of low pressure that's moving across the north, and we're starting to see some effects from this system — as you can see, as we go into saturday, it is cloudy with some bits of rain for parts of the northwest. the further south and east you are, it will be drier and colder, some bits of fog and mist could be slow to clear. but generally, more in the way of sunshine in this area — top temperatures up to ten celsius far north, so we are seeing a little bit of a change. into sunday, then, the same pattern gradually gets cloudier, some bits of rain here and there,

some fresh winds along the coasts. the best of the sunshine on sunday will be the southeast and parts of northeast of scotland. top temperatures up to ten celsius. and as we head out of the weekend, this mild air is enveloping the majority of the country — although the far southeast is holding onto that arctic air for a little while longer. so the trend, as we head into monday, tuesday, wednesday is it'll be mainly unsettled and cloudy further northwest. the southeast willjust be a little bit slower to catch up.

hello, i'm kasia madera, this is outside source. actor alec bladwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on a film set in 2021. cinematographer halyna hutchins died after baldwin fired a prop gun during rehearsals. also in the programme: mass strikes and protests are underway in france in response to president macron's plan to raise the age of retirement by two years to 64. western allies announce what they describe as unprecedented new military help for ukraine, as they try to change the dynamic on the battlefield.

welcome. we start with news from the us. the actor alec baldwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on a film set in october 2021. here's a quick reminder of the case. the cinematographer halyna hutchins was killed when alec baldwin fired a prop gun during rehearsals. the film's armourer, who was overseeing weapons, has also been charged. to hear more about the charges, here's sierra gillespie, from the law and crime network. the first charge here is involuntary manslaughter. it's pretty basic, itjust means that the prosecution has to prove there was negligence in this case. so that is whatjuries are going to have to decide eventually. in the state of new mexico it's only a fourth degree felony, so that would be 18 months injail and a $5,000 fine if baldwin were found guilty on that count. but the next count is the one

we really want to focus on. this is involuntary manslaughter commission of a lawful act and this requires proof that there was more than just that simple negligence. so on top of this fourth degree felony, 18 months injail and a $5,000 fine, baldwin could face a five year prison sentence because a firearm was involved. so there is a lot on the table here for alec baldwin. the prosecutor in new mexico says the decision is in keeping with a commitment to pursue justice for all victims. we've heard from mr baldwin's attorney, who said they intend to fight those charges, which he called a terrible miscarriage of justice. as we mentioned, the film's armourer, hannah guttierrez—reed, will also be charged. her lawyer says, "these charges are the result of a very flawed investigation, and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts." earlier, i spoke to correspondent david willis in los angeles. we've been hearing just recently from the district

attorney in this case, mary carmack—altwies and she has been giving some idea of the nature of this prosecution, how prosecutors intend to go ahead in bringing this case. she said that there was a sense of complacency, a lack of safety standards on the set of this film rust. she said it was a fast and loose set, as she put it, in which nobody was doing theirjob. and she expressed incredulity, incredulity i have to say that is shared by many here in hollywood that a real gun was used rather than a fake one. she said had people on the set been doing their basic duties, halyna hutchins would still be alive. and she said that together it amounted to negligence, which crossed over into recklessness. and in the words of the special prosecutor who was appointed by ms carmack—altwies, this case demonstrated criminal disregard for safety.

and, david, of course we saw the fatal and tragic consequences but in terms of this charge of involuntary manslaughter, that could result in alec baldwin ending up injail. it could indeed. and because there was a gun involved in this that could be potentially five years in jail if found guilty. what is likely to happen now is that charges will be brought before the end, sometime between now and the end of the month. and it could be a couple of months after that before a preliminary hearing and before this trial actually gets under way. but we get some impression don't we from alec baldwin's very defiant statement, issued through his lawyers, that he is not up for any kind of plea deal, unlike the first assistant director in this case dave halls, who has reached a plea deal and is clearly prepared to give evidence at trial of the sort

of circumstances that were taking place on the set and potentially the negligence that was involved on the set of rust. let's turn to france and a make—or—break moment for president macron's agenda. a day of mass strikes is under way, in protest against the french president's bid to raise the official age of retirement from 62 to 64. this was the scene in the southwestern city of bordeaux earlier. similar rallies are taking place across the country. translation: it's degrading - when you reach the end of your life. you have to leave a few years for people to enjoy. and then, as many unions have explained, what they are proposing is not really compatible with the arguments that they're putting forward. translation: i think what they're doing to us is very violent and it's. no longer tolerable. we already have the cost of living increasing, which we can't manage any more because we have an average salary.

we're those who are most taxed, so i don't know what to do, and i think it's time to show the government that we don't agree with their way of doing things. so let's put this into context. pension reform was at the heart of macron's election campaign in 2022. across the european union, the average retirement age is 65, so raising the retirement age to 64 would bring france closer to its eu counterparts. but many are not happy. this is an mp from the left wing party france unbowed. it's unfair and it's unnecessary. it's unfair because it's like a race to the bottom that people don't want to be part of. it means to focus on vulnerable workers who will work longer, women who are already at a disadvantage when it comes to retirement. so the most vulnerable will be hit even harder by these reforms. and it's also proving to be deeply

unpopular among the public. a poll this week found that 68% are opposed to the measure. next, let's hearfrom a spokesperson for president macron's renaissance party. right now, the way the french pension system works is it is redistributive. the workers contribute to the pensions of current retirees. when you have changing demographics, people living longer, fewer workers to fund the pensions, then you have to work collectively a little longer to be able to fund our system, to be able to balance it and to be able to save it for future generations and this is what we're doing right now. sophie pedder is paris bureau chief for the economist, and author of revolution francaise: emmanuel macron and the quest to reinvent a nation. one of the reasons why president macron wants to raise the retirement age is to bring france into the same sort

of category of age for most of the other countries in europe. but to understand the french situation, you have to go back a little bit further in recent history. france brought down the age from 65 to 60... it's secured this right to retire and it's finding it very difficult to understand or accept that partly for accounting reasons, but also because france wants to raise the participation rate in the workforce. very few people work after the age of 55 there, and for the general reasons of increasing participation in the market, he wants to get more people to work longer. it's not a pleasant message. people don't want to hear that. but it's a reality for france if it wants to come into line with the rest of europe. when it comes to the people who are out striking,

i'm getting a note that around 50% of edf's workforce took part in the nationwide strikes. across the board, how much impact has it had and what kind of people are out on the streets? unions are saying more strikes will be planned towards the end of january. i think it's important to see this as a first day of what's going to be probably a couple of months of really difficult times for france. you've got the government's own numbers suggesting that over a million people are on the streets today, so that number's huge. it does show that the unions have an ability to bring people out on the street. it's affecting some of the mostly public transport, some schools, oil refineries and other sectors as well. the real question is how does this play out? you've got a clear demonstration

of force on day one. there's already another strike planned. it's becoming a war of attrition to see whether it's the street or the government that wins. the key to me is what happens to public opinion. at the moment, it's behind the strikers and the protesters. that will change over time. whether or not people still feel that's a justified protest, that's what's going to make the real difference in whether this strike will force the government to back down or whether macron will hold firm. more public sector workers are on strike today here in the uk. in total, around a quarter of hospitals and community services are affected. so let's take a look at which areas are affected. nurses in england are walking out for the second day in a row as part of a row over pay.

bus drivers in south and west london are also staging a round of industrial action. teachers in parts of scotland are continuing their 16—day wave of rolling strikes. and more than 1,000 ambulance workers across wales are striking over pay and conditions, in the first day of action by the unite union. here's our wales correspondent hywel griffith about the potential impact of these ambulance strikes across the country. we know that the unite members make up about a quarter of the welsh ambulance workforce in wales, so it will probably be similar with the gmb union was out. we know that arrangements are in place, workers are prepared to respond to urgent calls. but people have been warned to be extra cautious not to take extra risks on these strike days. nurses have been on the picket line across the country.

this was in euston, in london, and ada ferenkeh—koroma, i spoke to her a little earlier. i think it's very sad. we did it with a very heavy heart. we did it to attain safer staffing levels. we did it to save patients lives. the situation, as it is, cannot continue. it's not sustainable. a lot of nurses are under pressure financially. people are leaving the front line, and the front line is so burdened that it's the rest of us that have to carry the burden because we have chosen to stay. and we're hoping that this opportunity opens the door for the government to at least listen to us. and when you say that you're doing it to save lives,

arguably you're away from your patients. how does that make you feel? it saddens me, but what i have to say is that as nurses, patients will always and have always been our first priority. safe patient care is also our priority. and so even though we've walked out, the patients we have spoken to are fully in support of the strike action, because they see day to day what we go through. for the level of service that i gave and for the years of commitment i've shown to the nhs, i feel as though, at the moment, with the current financial crisis, the cost of living crisis, for example, it means i'm barely surviving on my salary rather than living. i want to be able to go to a job that i fully, clearly enjoy. you know, when my patients come to see me, they know the encounter for them, it's quite fulfilling. they know they're supported, they know they're cared for.

but i know the burden that i have to go through underneath it all. financially, it's not sustainable. and i'm hoping that after this strike we will at least have an opportunity to be offered a fair pay, a fair wage in line with inflation. that means i no longer have to worry about putting the heating on. and that's in real times what i have to worry about now. you know, the stark choices are putting the heating on and not affording to pay your mortgage or your rent. putting the heating on and not affording to buy the essentials in a shopping week, within your groceries for the week, etc.. it also means, you know, things like extra curricular activities that i had offered, you know, for our children i can no longer afford. so all of those have had to be cut and to be able to do a job that i love so much, i'm hoping that i shouldn't have

to continue like this. and at some point i'm hoping that the government and the prime minister will listen. and i say this notjust for unqualified orjunior nurses 01’ senior nurses. i say this in the best interests of the patients too, because nurses like us in whom the nhs has invested so much, we don't want to leave the front line and go into private sector work. we hope that they'll be able to keep us on the front line so that we'll be able to offer the patient care that we have so over so many years trained for to provide. stay with us on outside source. still to come. new military help for kyiv. a group of 11 countries announce tanks, anti—tank missles and artillery systems to be sent to ukraine.

this is outside source live from the bbc newsroom. our lead story is? actor alec bladwin is to be charged with involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on a film set in 2021. let's turn to the war in ukraine. a group of 11 countries have announced what they say is unprecedented new military help for kyiv, including main battle tanks. at today's meeting of european defence ministers in estonia, the uk pledged to send 600 brimstone anti—tank missiles. it's already promised 14 tanks. sweden and denmark will donate heavy artillery systems, and estonia is increasing its military assistance to 1% of its gdp. here's the estonian

defence minister. estonian government has just today decided to support ukraine with the biggest military aid package to date. worth of 113 million euros. its centrepiece are fh 70155 millimetres howitzers, just behind me you can see them. but the package also consist of howitzers, grenade launchers, vehicles and a considerable amount of artillery and other ammunition. let's hear more of what the uk is offering from defence minister ben wallace. we will send at least three batteries of as90155 long—range deep fire artillery. we will send a number of armoured

vehicles including the bulldog which is a variant of the old 432 armoured personnel carrier, thousands of rounds of ammunition and today, i can say we're going to send another 600 brimstone missiles into theatre, which will be incredibly important in helping ukraine dominate the battlefield. here's our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. what's been announced by i think about 11 countries so far, mainly in europe. it's more missiles, it's more howitzers, it's more anti—tank weapons. some more infantry vehicles. things like that, that are incredibly important. small arms, more officers, more training, all of these kind of things. what nobody has done yet is made a firm commitment on tanks. the reason being that most of them have tanks called leopards. they are made by germany. germany has control because there are export licenses,

which says if you buy from germany you can't pass on to somebody else. germany has to give permission for any of these tanks. the finns and the poles are desperate to give ukraine these tanks. germany, at the moment, is very reluctant but there is a big meeting tomorrow in germany. the americans hosting it, 50 defence ministers are going to be there, that's where the crunch moments come up. we are reaching that point where some, the dutch, saying they are quite positive there might be a deal. others are saying if there is no deal we are just going to give these tanks anyway. let's turn to the front lines — where the weapons are most needed. the eastern town of soledar is a key battleground because of its proximity to bakhmut, a crucial supply route.0ur correspondent andrew harding has sent this special report from there. incoming artillery fire as we come close to the front line. a lot is incoming. a quick run for cover. we are in an area where russian

and ukrainian infantry now appear to be fighting at close quarters. clambering through the remains of a house here, hit by a shell. heading towards the ukrainian position. ok, we are hearing small arms fire as well as heavy artillery fire, which means that the russian lines are very close. in fact, we are hearing they are just a kilometre away, across the fields behind me. ukrainian troops firing from the outskirts of the nearby town of soledar. they are clinging on here, but soledar itself is now in russian hands. the kremlin's first significant victory in months. you've lost territory here, you've lost soledar. we have quite a tough situation here, but it's a controlled situation anyway.

sometimes it's better to take a step back, but destroy the enemy. then, after that, make an attack and really crush the enemy completely. we destroy, each day, 50 or 100 enemy people. ukrainian drone footage appears to back that up. a russian position here coming under artillery attack. several wounded russian soldiers visible in the aftermath. ukraine is losing men as well. it's not clear exactly how many, but medics insists morale remains high. they are tired, they are cold, they are wounded, but they ask me, "man, doc, when can i return to my boys?" they don't say, "oh, thank god, i'm wounded, now i can relax." careful, careful. very active frontline this morning.

the ukrainians have withdrawn, but they are trying to pound russian positions as hard as they can to prevent them from advancing here and encircling the next, bigger prize nearby — bakhmut, which the ukrainians have been defending fiercely for months now. ok, let's go. time to leave a fluid front line that is costing both sides so much. andrew harding, bbc news, near soledar, ukraine. in a world first, scientists have developed a laser that can divert lightning. we know lighting bolts cause huge amounts of damage. they're about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. more than a billion strike earth each year, causing thousands of deaths and damage that runs into tens of billions of dollars. a group of around 25 researchers say

they have a solution. the european laser lightning rod project hopes that its work will move protection from lightning strikes beyond us founding father benjamin franklin's lightning rod. until now franklin's eighteenth century invention was the best protection available. the lightning rod from benjamin franklin works for small structures like houses on a church. it is effective over a region that is about the size of its height. so if you have ten metre high lightning rod you will protect ten metres in diameter. that is fine in most of the cases but imagine now you have a large infrastructure, which has to be protected from lightning like an electrical power plant or a satellite launching pad or an airport or a refinery. then of

course having a lightning rod of 200, 300 metre length is not possible. and then we had the idea to use the air is self as a lightning rod because by using a laser you can actually make the air electrically conductive and the lightning would just follow the path, the ionised path in the air and be conducted to the earth. so it is a virtual lightning rod because use the air directly but you make it conduct it with the laser. incredible, isn't it? a virtual lightning rod. the last time lightning rod. the last time lightning rod. the last time lightning rod was invented was 1752 by the us founding father benjamin franklin. extraordinary stuff. loads more of course on our website. you can catch with me on social media.

from me and the team, goodbye. thanks for watching. hello. it's been a day of sunny spells and scattered wintry showers, but the worst of the wintry weather is now over. over the next few days, we will see it gradually turning milder. some blue skies yet to come, but it will be getting cloudier as well and unsettled for many of us. we are still in this arctic air flow, but not for long — waiting in the wings here is some mild air that is moving further across the uk at the moment, but it is slow. and as we get this mild air, we'll also be seeing a change in the weather — more unsettled, cloudier with bits of rain for many of us as well. but into tonight, some wintry showers are continuing to move southwards across scotland and the north sea coast, some strong winds in this area as well. but for many of us, it will be a cold, dry night — although there is a risk of ice in the north and western parts, and the northeast of england as well.

temperatures dipping down to below freezing — —5 celsius in some parts of scotland. so, a widespread frost tomorrow, with bits of fog and mist for parts of the west could be slow to clear. but generally tomorrow, a dry and fine day. the odd shower possible with this little weather feature in the southeast, some strong winds with this as well. temperatures getting up to 8 celsius — so still a cold day, but starting to get a little bit milder. now, as we head into friday, high pressure is in charge for the majority of the country, but we've got this system of low pressure that's moving across the north, and we're starting to see some effects from this system — as you can see, as we go into saturday, it is cloudy with some bits of rain for parts of the northwest. the further south and east you are, it will be drier and colder, some bits of fog and mist could be slow to clear. but generally, more in the way of sunshine in this area — top temperatures up to 10 celsius far north, so we are seeing a little bit of a change. into sunday, then, the same pattern gradually gets cloudier,

some bits of rain here and there, some fresh winds along the coasts. the best of the sunshine on sunday will be the southeast and parts of northeast of scotland. top temperatures up to 10 celsius. and as we head out of the weekend, this mild air is enveloping the majority of the country — although the far southeast is holding onto that arctic air for a little while longer. so, the trend, as we head into monday, tuesday, wednesday is it'll be mainly unsettled and cloudy further northwest. the southeast willjust be a little bit slower to catch up.

welcome to hardtalk from geneva. i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of the wto,

ngozi okonjo—iweala.