the headlines firefighters have voted to go on strike for the first time in 20 years, following a dispute over pay. the health secretary announces £1 billion to tackle delays in nhs emergency care, but critics say there won't be enough staff, despite thousands of extra hospital beds. today, together with an interest we are sitting out times to reduce waiting time. at least 47 people have been killed and 150 others injured in a blast in the pakistani city. rishi sunak defends his handling of allegations about nadhim zahawi tax affairs, saying he acted pretty decisively and sacking him.

what i have done is follow a process which is the right process. integrity is really important to me. the kremlin has dismissed as a lie a claim by a borisjohnson that he was threatened by vladimir putin, before the russian invasion of ukraine. and new research suggest uk bosses are reluctant to hire over 50s, preferring younger workers. in the last hour it is been announced that firefighters are across the uk have voted to go on strike. it will be there. walk out in 20 years following a dispute over

pgy- in 20 years following a dispute over pay. thejoint in 20 years following a dispute over pay. the joint teachers, in 20 years following a dispute over pay. thejoint teachers, nurses, ambulance workers and taken industrial actions. the union has rejected a pay offer and they will give the government ten days to come up give the government ten days to come up with a better offer or the strikes will go ahead. we can speak with the general secretary of the fire brigade union, met rack. good afternoon mr rack. your members have voted to go on strike. give us a bit of background as to why they have done so? ,., ., ., ., ., w done so? good afternoon rachel. firefighters _ done so? good afternoon rachel. firefighters have _ done so? good afternoon rachel. firefighters have been _ done so? good afternoon rachel. firefighters have been facing - done so? good afternoon rachel. firefighters have been facing a i done so? good afternoon rachel. | firefighters have been facing a tax on their pay for 12 years. there has been an unprecedented scale of cuts and a record number ofjobs have been lost. i record number of fire stations close and fire engines asked and also alongside that eight attack on already met pay. so a

focus and wake wages. while our members are proud and want to serve their communities they have families to look after and mortgages and rent to look after and mortgages and rent to pay and bills to pay. you need wages to do so and they have sent a clear message to us, and to their employers and the government that they are sick and tired of being treated in this way and are prepared to stand up for themselves and fight back. we hope that the employers will not listen and they have ten days to meet us and make a revised offer. 50 days to meet us and make a revised offer, days to meet us and make a revised offer. , ., , ., ~ ., offer. so you will be taken no action until— offer. so you will be taken no action until the _ offer. so you will be taken no action untilthe meeting - offer. so you will be taken no action untilthe meeting has. action until the meeting has happened? we action untilthe meeting has happened?— action untilthe meeting has ha ened? ~ . ., happened? we have agreed some time auo. on the happened? we have agreed some time ago. on the close _ happened? we have agreed some time ago. on the close of _ happened? we have agreed some time ago. on the close of the _ happened? we have agreed some time ago. on the close of the ballot - happened? we have agreed some time ago. on the close of the ballot we - ago. on the close of the ballot we would not immediately cause strike action. we rode to our employers seeking a negotiation. that is in place and we welcome that. that is in place for the 8th of february so our employers have ten days to try

and take account of the level of anger that clearly exists among their staff, anger that clearly exists among theirstaff, our anger that clearly exists among their staff, our members. they have wasted a lot of time. we made this claim in may of last year and we are now in february the following year. that is at degreaser disgrace that they have messed our members for so long. they think they can get away with pushing firefighters around and firefighters are saying we have had enough and not prepared to take this any more. they have voted clearly to reject the pay offer and voted for action. ~ ., ., ., ~ ., _, action. what would it take, do you think was, — action. what would it take, do you think was. for— action. what would it take, do you think was, for the _ action. what would it take, do you think was, for the action _ action. what would it take, do you think was, for the action to - action. what would it take, do you think was, for the action to be - think was, for the action to be called love? what are you looking for? �* ., ., ., called love? what are you looking for? ., ., ., ., ., called love? what are you looking for? �* ., ., ., ., ., ., for? i'm not going to negotiate on tv. for? i'm not going to negotiate on tv, as for? i'm not going to negotiate on tv. as m — for? i'm not going to negotiate on tv. as i'm sure — for? i'm not going to negotiate on tv, as i'm sure you'll— for? i'm not going to negotiate on tv, as i'm sure you'll appreciate. | tv, as i'm sure you'll appreciate. 0ur employers have made silly offers. they made a 2% offer injune offers. they made a 2% offer injune of last year which they knew would be rejected. it took them months before they made a revised offer.

our members voted to reject that second offer. clearly, all our members have sent a clear message that they want a improved payoff offer. i'm not giving figures here. our employers have a responsibility 0ur employers have a responsibility to come back with a revised offer and we will consult our members on whether that is acceptable or not. if not, we will proceed with the strikes. ., , , , ., strikes. people will be listening to ou and strikes. people will be listening to you and they _ strikes. people will be listening to you and they may _ strikes. people will be listening to you and they may be _ strikes. people will be listening to l you and they may be understanding why firefighters are looking for better pay offer. there would also better pay offer. there would also be very worried at the prospect of an emergency in their homes or in their places of work where there may not get the help that they need. what would you say to them? i completely understand that concern and our members share that concern. 0ur and our members share that concern. our members do not want to go on strike. nobodyjoined the

firefighters to go on strike. as i say, at the end of the month our members have bills to pay and they have been treated appallingly over the last 12 years by their employers and the government. they are saying their goodwill cannot be relied upon endlessly because they are being forced to go to food banks because they cannot survive. that is unacceptable in this day and age and they do not accept it. i understand they do not accept it. i understand the concerns of the public which is why they have not immediately gone on strike. there is this ten day window in order to allow the employers and the government to provide the funding and the offer to resolve this dispute. that is entirely possible and we are in discussions with employers across the country and i hope there will be wake up and realise a scale of what they are dealing with and it is possible to avoid this dispute altogether. possible to avoid this dispute altogether-— possible to avoid this dispute altoaether. ., ,, , ., , . ., altogether. thank you very much for our time.

altogether. thank you very much for your time- met _ altogether. thank you very much for your time. met rack, _ altogether. thank you very much for your time. met rack, the _ altogether. thank you very much for your time. met rack, the general - your time. met rack, the general secretary of the fire brigades union. thank you. ministers and nhs leaders have announced plans to provide hundreds more ambulances and thousands of hospital beds in england by next winter. 0ne—billion pounds of existing funding is being allocated and there are also measures to try to reduce the number of patients who turn up at a—and—e, and then stay overnight. but there are questions about how the extra resources will be staffed — and some health experts warn the proposals will be undermined by a "burnt out" workforce. 0ur health correspondent, katherine da costa, has the details. right, hi, how are you? nice to see you. after weeks of unprecedented strain on the nhs, and criticism over record delays in a&e... it's incredibly complicated, actually, managing the flow through... ..the prime minister and health secretary were keen to hear what's working well at north tees hospital... it's a model that we need to make sure we can do more of across the country. so thank you. ..ahead of setting out new plans in front of an audience of health staff.

more beds, more ambulances, more staff, better social care, and if we can deliver on it, if we can deliver on it, then i think we will see, in fact, i know we will see the largest and fastest ever improvement in emergency waiting times in the nhs's history. that is the ambition of our plan that we've set out today. by next winter, there should be 5,000 more per hospital beds in england, an increase of around 5%. 800 new ambulances purchased, around half of those to replace older vehicles. and there will be a new push to get people who are well enough out of hospital more quickly. hello, sir, how are you? the plan builds on work to care for patients in their own homes by monitoring them remotely. it includes greater use of rehab and physiotherapy to avoid overnight stays in hospital. the money to pay for this will come out of funds already promised last autumn. health experts broadly welcomed the proposals to boost capacity,

bring down waiting times and improve patient care, but they stress you can't achieve that unless you have got the right number of staff in the right departments. really important that the government publishes a long—term workforce strategy for the nhs, a plan that has now been promised and delayed quite often, because that's absolutely critical. we have 100,000 vacancies in at the nhs, more than 150,000 vacancies in social care, so staffing really becomes the absolutely critical constraint about whether some of the ambitions and improvements in today's plan will be able to be delivered. the government says it will publish a plan to boost the nhs workforce in england. meanwhile, labour has accused the government of watering down standards by lowering ambulance and a&e targets. there is still a long way to go if we are to avoid long queues and waits like this next winter. katherine da costa, bbc news.

a few questions catherine. where is the money for this coming from? back in the autumn — the money for this coming from? e:c«; in the autumn statement {6.6 billion in the autumn statement £6.6 billion was prioritised for the nhs for the next two years. so a billion of that has been earmarked for the new measures. there are five areas of improvement. increasing capacity for beds and ambulances and increasing the workforce with more student nurses and apprentices. speeding up discharge. we have seen this winter lots of patience stuck in hospital beds when there ready to leave because they are waiting for social packages. care for more people in their own homes in so—called virtual wards. where patients are monitored third remotely. the idea is for 50,000 patients to be treated at home and month. there also plans to improve the iii home and month. there also plans to improve the 111 system for more support online and over the phone. for these with young children and

those with a mental health crisis. the idea is to avoid the need for people to be admitted to hospital. what is the reaction to these measures?— what is the reaction to these measures? ., , . . , , ., measures? the two big criticisms are on waitin: measures? the two big criticisms are on waiting time _ measures? the two big criticisms are on waiting time targets _ measures? the two big criticisms are on waiting time targets and - measures? the two big criticisms are on waiting time targets and on - on waiting time targets and on staffing. looking at witching times they say they are being watered down. the aim under this new plan is for next winter 76% of patients to be seen in four hours. that is up from about 70% this winter. that is still a long way off the official target of 95%. for ambulance response times for patients with heart attacks and strokes this winter they have been with and on average 90 minutes. the plan is for them to be reached within 30 minutes ijy them to be reached within 30 minutes by next winter which is still a long way off the official target of 18 minutes. laboursays way off the official target of 18 minutes. labour says this plan doesn't go far enough and doesn't set out when the safe limits will be met if we ever return to those

official targets. the other big issueis official targets. the other big issue is staffing. now, workforce plan was promised back in october and was delayed and the latest is we are expecting something in spring. with one in ten posts on field in england it is difficult to see how some of these improvements might be made in the short term. that goes for social care to with even bigger gaps in the workforce there and difficulty with retention. has leaders and experts have welcomed the steps trying to address some of the steps trying to address some of the changes in the nhs but they have warned that having a burned out workforce is going to meet that a real challenge.— workforce is going to meet that a real challenue. ., ,, ,, , . real challenge. thank you very much catherine. joining me now is the shadow health secretary, wes streeting. we had a summary of your reaction to

these proposals. you heard our correspondence saying that by and large health experts have welcomed these proposals as going some weight towards making the situation better. would you accept that? i towards making the situation better. would you accept that?— would you accept that? i think it is an awful situation _ would you accept that? i think it is an awful situation where _ would you accept that? i think it is an awful situation where the - an awful situation where the governments ceiling of ambition is that in 12 months' time, another year on, people with heart attack and stroke symptoms will be waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive when we know that every second counts. i think it's totally unacceptable that the 95% target for accident and emergency isn't even planned to be met. it's not even part of the governments ambition. when, again we know, this isn't an arbitrary target. people which is longer than five hours are more likely to lose their life is up and people currently experiencing the

nhs crisis are experiencing first—hand what the consequences of the disaster is. what concerns me is that at the heart of this is a big workforce shaped hole. i have no problem with the idea that community services nhs services in peoples home are a good thing. if you look at my conference speech from last yeari at my conference speech from last year i made that argument for some there is half the number of district nurses since 2013, labour spline is a double that and that is our policy and we commit to that fully funded. similarly, if we don't recruit the number of staff we need we won't get patient cheated on time. that is why labour is committed to the biggest expansion of nhs staff and we will pay for all of this by abolishing the nondominant tax status. i know

that's not popular with the prime minister but you think the conservatives might want to give at least the appearance that they are taking tax avoidance seriously with the recent news.— taking tax avoidance seriously with the recent news. some of what you ro ose the recent news. some of what you propose would _ the recent news. some of what you propose would take _ the recent news. some of what you propose would take time _ the recent news. some of what you propose would take time for- the recent news. some of what you propose would take time for the . the recent news. some of what you i propose would take time for the nhs to see the benefits of it. there are measures that the government is putting forward, such as virtual wards and beefing up 111 which goes some way towards recalibrating how the nhs treats people or trying to treat people in their homes. rather than actually bringing them into the system. it does seem as if experts are saying this does go some way towards helping what is undoubtedly a very difficult situation. your own proposals would take rather longer. just on that challenge of time. firstly, unless you've got district nursing in place to support hospital

at home as the government because it, that is not hospital at home and i think lots of patients will be worried about that. i think what the government can be doing now on workforce to retain the staff we have and get the nhs back to full strength, they could deal with the doctors pensions issues that are seen doctors retire early because there pensions are a financial disincentive. they could get nurses and ambulance workers around the table now to avert costly strike action where the risk is notjust nurses walking out for another day of strike but work walk out altogether because they are burnt out. instead of dealing with these problems there is legislation going through today where they are threatening to set nurses and paramedics and other public sector workers for going on strike when the point is we need to stop strikes happening in the first place by treating staff with respect and

negotiating. ultimately, the viewers canjudge. 13 years of negotiating. ultimately, the viewers can judge. 13 years of conservative governments and we have the longest waiting time in history and lowest patient satisfaction. 13 years and labour delivered the lowest within time and most customer satisfaction. this plan doesn't reach any submission what labour achieved after 13 years in government or get us there. what did it is published the data so people understand their experience. i the data so people understand their exerience. ., ., the data so people understand their exerience. ~ ., ., ., experience. i think we have to leave it there. experience. i think we have to leave it there- we — experience. i think we have to leave it there. we have _ experience. i think we have to leave it there. we have come _ experience. i think we have to leave it there. we have come through - it there. we have come through upended pandemic that he nhs didn't face in the time that labour were in charge. face in the time that labour were in charae. �* , ., charge. and the number were at records level _ charge. and the number were at records level before _ charge. and the number were at records level before the - charge. and the number were at i records level before the pandemic thatis records level before the pandemic that is a mitigation factor not an excuse. ., ~' that is a mitigation factor not an excuse. . ~ , ., ., that is a mitigation factor not an excuse. . ~ ., , , ., ~ excuse. thank you for speaking with us wes streeting. _ we have a special programme on health care available now.

0ur correspondentjim reed has been looking at why hospitals have been full to bursting this winter — his film takes you through a hospital building one area at a time — showing where the delays are — and how it's all connected. that's how to heal the nhs, and you can watch that on the bbc iplayer. the kremlin has denied an allegatiin by former prime minister, borisjohnson, that vladimir putin personally threatened him in the run—up to russia's invasion of ukraine. in a bbc documentary about mr putin's leadership, he described how the russian president told him it would "only take a minute" to hurt him with a missile. a russian government spokesman desvribed it as a �*lie'. more from our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. kyiv, last february — a city on the brink of war. borisjohnson arrives in a show of support for a president, who is yet to replace his suit and tie with army fatigues.

alongside other countries, we are also preparing a package of sanctions and other measures. the prime minister publicly urges russia not to invade, prompting an astonishing reaction from president putin. i get back from kyiv and, the following day, i've got putin on the blower again. and this is a very long call and a most extraordinary call. he was being very, very familiar. mrjohnson told him invading ukraine would mean more nato forces on his border. he said, "boris, you say that ukraine is not going tojoin nato any time soon." he said it in english — "any time soon." "what is any time soon?" and i said, "well, it's not going to join nato for the foreseeable future." and then this. you know, he threatened me at one point and said, you know, "boris, i don't want to hurt you,

but with a missile, it would only take a minute" — or something like that, you know. you know, jolly. but i think from the very relaxed tone that he was taking — the sort of air of detachment that he seemed to have, he was just playing along with my attempts to get him to negotiate. the following week, the defence secretary flew to moscow to meet russian military chiefs, where, he says, they lied to him about their plans for ukraine. i remember saying to minister shoigu that they will fight. and he said, "my mother's ukrainian — you know, they won't." he also said he had no intention of invading. i think that would be "vranyo" in the russian language. vranyo, i think is a sort of demonstration of bullying or strength, which is "i'm going to lie to you. you know, i'm lying. i know you know i'm lying and i'm

still going to lie to you." it was the fairly chilling but direct lie of what they were not going to do that, i think, to me, confirmed they were going to do it. and he was right. within days, the invasion began, as russia unleashed a barrage of missiles on targets across ukraine and its tanks and troops stormed across the border. james landale, bbc news. 0ur diplomatic correspondent, james landale, joins me now lots of interesting stuff in that documentary but what about boris johnson's claim? i documentary but what about boris johnson's claim?— johnson's claim? i think what it shows is the — johnson's claim? i think what it shows is the scale _ johnson's claim? i think what it shows is the scale of _ johnson's claim? i think what it shows is the scale of the - johnson's claim? i think what it - shows is the scale of the confidence felt by the russian leadership in the run—up to this invasion. the former british prime minister is is trying to negotiate with vladimir putin and said the ukrainians will fight and it is an utter catastrophe and more niche it will be on your

borders and in response president putin is going, yet you get, i could hurt you. even if it's at a very minimum level ofjust a demonstration of potency or braggadocio. 0f demonstration of potency or braggadocio. of someone send their extremely confident which is what borisjohnson said. he said it in a very relaxed detached set. that's confidence. going to the military and saying this is going to cause you problems and they are saying no we won't fight and my mother is ukrainian. in the line saying they want to evade and literally days later they invade. it shows the scale of what we now know as self—delusion within the russian leadership. they tried this and they came up short as it really is to hit them when ukrainians fought back really hard and the west stayed united and we are where we are.

fascinating. james, many thanks. the first episode of the bbc documentary putin versus the west — will be broadcast tonight on bbc two at 9pm, and all three episodes are available on the bbc iplayer. at least 47 people have been killed in an explosion at a mosque in the pakistani city of peshawar. the blast, in the northwest of the country, happened at around 1—30 in the afternoon — when the mosque was packed with worshippers. more than 150 people were injured. a section of the building was destroyed, and officials say people are buried under the rubble. several others are being taken to local hospitals. the cause of the explosion is unclear. a peshawar police chief has said they cannot rule out the possibility of a suicide bombing. earlier, i caught up with tarhub assgar from bbc urdu — she joined us live from

lahore with the latest. this blast happened at around 2pm or 3pm. 0ne or2pm. when, initially, people were offering prayer, the blast happened. according to a person who was there, he told that when he entered the mosque, there was a huge blast and he ended up in hospital. if i talk about the locality of that mosque where the blast happened, that is quite important, because it is in police headquarters, nearby there are many important buildings like civil secretariat and interior, provincial interior ministry's office not so far. army's commander house is nearby, so there is huge question how this blast happened, and there is a clear security lapse as well. recently, the prime minister

and chief of army staff have reached to peshawar to inquire people who got injured in the blast and not only this, they have asked officials to submit a report on how this happened. i gatherfrom reading the reports that some of the people who died were members of the police force? if this was an attack, a suicide attack potentially, who might have been responsible for this? officially, no—one has taken responsibility for the attack but on social media, people from the ttp, are surfing different kind of photographs of a suicide bomber claiming this is a revenge attack in a series, off the fact that the leader was dead in the fight. taking revenge from pakistan. this is the fourth attack on pakistan, and this is one of the biggest ones in recent weeks. it is a real challenge for the authorities and government

to try to restore order? yes, this is a real challenge, because that is the reason after this huge attack, the prime minister and chief of army staff, interior minister, they have reached to peshawar, called the security meeting, urgent security meeting, and raised important questions like there were warnings by official that these kind of attacks can be carried out by different terrorist groups and not only this, how that person managed to reach to that spot, because when we see the locality of that mosque, that is quite important and there are three security checks you have to clear to get to that point. there is only one main gate of the mosque and how that person managed to get through the gates, these are the major questions high officials have raised to the people who were on the ground and taking care of security.

rishi sunak says he "acted pretty decisively" when the former conservative party chairman, nadim zahawi, was found to have broken the ministerial code. labour has called on the prime minister to clarify exactly when he became aware that mr zahawi had paid a penalty to hmrc. joining me now is our political correspondent, jonathan blake has this issue going away for the prime minister or not? i’m has this issue going away for the prime minister or not?— has this issue going away for the prime minister or not? i'm not sure it has. prime minister or not? i'm not sure it has- clearly. _ prime minister or not? i'm not sure it has. clearly, rishi— prime minister or not? i'm not sure it has. clearly, rishi sunak- it has. clearly, rishi sunak would've liked to draw a line under things. he answered questions this morning with nhs staff and questions from the media where he was asked about his handling of nadhim zahawi second. he defended what he did and said he acted swiftly and decisively having been given the report by his

independent ethics adviser. 0n independent ethics adviser. on sunday morning. even before that happened, some officials were saying that he should have acted more swiftly to either suspend his conservative party chair while the investigation was ongoing orjust sacked him because he didn't need an investigation to establish the facts and see the ministerial code had been broken. rishi sunak, this morning, defending his handling of the affair and saying it was important to follow due process and he followed the right process. he said that integrity was something important to him and said he would take every step necessary to restore trust a nd take every step necessary to restore trust and interrogatory at the heart of politics. we know this is something rishi sunak clearly believes is important. he made a big play of it when he first came to power and stood outside the door of number ten and said his government would put in secretary,

accountability and professionalism above everything. so there is continued scrutiny over his actions as far as labour is concerned as to when he knew and what she knew about nadhim zahawi's tax affairs and whether there was an investigation ijy whether there was an investigation by hr mc for he appointed him as a conservative party chair. downing street was reassured there were no outstanding issues at that point and we know the matter was settled by then but labour is attempting to keep the pressure on rishi sunak and saying he needs to give more detail about what he knew previous to that. downing street said they are negative getting into private conversations.— negative getting into private conversations. , conversations. integrity you say is ke for conversations. integrity you say is key for the _ conversations. integrity you say is key for the prime _ conversations. integrity you say is key for the prime minister - conversations. integrity you say is key for the prime minister yet - conversations. integrity you say is i key for the prime minister yet there are can service questions hanging over the justice secretary and questions about the home secretary. is this likely to provide a running theme and weakness in this

government?— theme and weakness in this rovernment? . , . ., ., government? that is the charge of rishi sunak _ government? that is the charge of rishi sunak political _ government? that is the charge of rishi sunak political opponents - government? that is the charge of| rishi sunak political opponents and the dangerfor him. having rishi sunak political opponents and the danger for him. having set such high standards and made a big thing of having made a big thing of having the standards. if there are any transgressions where ministers fall short of the ascenders that he is going to be held accountable as much as they are. you mentioned the ongoing inquiry into the dynamic rob they are eight former complaints we know of being investigated by an independent lawyer appointed by the prime minister and when that comes out it would be a big moment. he won't want to lose another senior figure in government in this fashion. having fallen short of the standards he himself has set. but the pressure on him to act swiftly and decisively when that investigation and will be huge.

thank you very muchjonathan blake. thank you very much. that evening to you. wasn't a bad day out there. try with plenty of sunshine. however, low pressure will take over across the northern half of the uk over the next 24—48 hours. initially, a band of rain associated with this area of low pressure will start to push into the northwest of the uk, western scotland, northern ireland went at the moment. this rain will start to check on i southwards andy's during the overnight period, parking itself across more central parts of the up and tending to weaken as it does so. ahead of it, quite cold with the clear spells. a chilly night to come here, but behind it where it is windier, it won't be quite as claude had plenty of showers. that with a friend will be weak and suspicious south, eventually it clears away and brightens up for much of england and wales. a few showers across the

irish sea coasts, windy across northern half of the countries that low pressure system starts to move in. gales here, sunshine, frequent blessed day showers. quite mild for the time of the year in the south. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... firefighters have voted to go on strike for the first time in 20 years following a dispute over pay. the health secretary announces £1 billion to tackle delays in nhs emergency care but critics say there won't be enough staff despite thousands of extra hospital beds. at least 59 people have now been reported to have been killed and 150 others injured in a blast in the pakistani city. rishi defends pakistani city. rishidefends defends his handling of allegations about the tax affairs, and saying he

acted decisively in sacking him. what i've done is follow a process, the right process, integrity is really important. the kremlin has dismissed alive by borisjohnson the kremlin has dismissed alive by boris johnson that the kremlin has dismissed alive by borisjohnson that he was threatened by vladimir putin before the russian invasion of ukraine. new research suggests that uk bosses are reluctant to higher over 50s, preferring younger workers. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's chetan. good afternoon, the new everton manager sean dyche says he wants to put out a team that fights and wears the badge with pride. it's after he was confirmed as frank lampard's replacement today. dyche takes over with everton joint bottom of the premier league. jane dougal is at goodison park for us, how do you think everton fans are feeling about this latest appoinment?

of course it will be a bit of stability which i imagine most fans would welcome at this stage. it was widely expected over the last few days that he would be confirmed, and this morning he came to training, came to everton's training ground and took training this afternoon and in a statement, the club said that he was in fact their new manager. dyche has said i know about every ten's passionate fan base and how precious this club is to them. we are ready to work and give them what they want. that starts with sweat on they want. that starts with sweat on the shirts, effort and getting back to some of the basic principles of what everton football club has stood forfor what everton football club has stood for for a long what everton football club has stood forfor a long time. what the what everton football club has stood for for a long time. what the fans want is for every tend to stay up. they arejoined by want is for every tend to stay up. they are joined by them at south hampton, joint second bottom at south hampton on 15 points and serious contenders to be relegated from the premier league after such a string of poor results under frank

lampard, their previous manager, and dyche does not have much time to get the team playing he might want them to. their next match is here at goodison park against the league leaders, that is this saturday, and then following that, the merseyside derby on the 13th of february, so it's a baptism of fire fire sean dyche. his first official act as manager made to be getting a player or two in the door because tomorrow is transfer deadline day. many everton fans would argue that they would need fresh blood at the club that they are to stay up. the question is will he be given any resources to buy new players? it is no secret that there are real financial issues at everton. the owner might not be willing to part with any cash for transfers. already, he's an estimated £700 million for players since he bought the club in 2016, and despite that, the club in 2016, and despite that, the results haven't been forthcoming. they think dyche can make something of an impact on those

results. we will find out very quickly if he can or not. jane at goodison _ quickly if he can or not. jane at goodison park, _ quickly if he can or not. jane at goodison park, thank - quickly if he can or not. jane at goodison park, thank you. - quickly if he can or not. jane at goodison park, thank you. as | quickly if he can or not. jane at - goodison park, thank you. as jane has said that, the football transfer window closes tomorrow. chelsea have bid over 105 million pounds for benfica's argentina midfielder enzo fernandez, in a move that would make him the british transfer record signing. if the deal goes through, it would eclipse the 100 million manchester city paid aston villa forjack grealish last year. fernandez was named young player of the tournament during argentina's world cup win in qatar. and wolves have confirmed this afternoon that they've agreed a 15 million pound fee with flamengo for midfielderjoao gomes. the 21—year—old only made his debut in 2020 but has become a regular in the brazilian league, winning the copa libertadores last season. rory mcilroy admits it was mentally tough but was happy he didn't let his emotions get in the way as he beat his rival patrick reed to win the dubai desert classic today. the american here is part

of the rebel liv golf tour which mcilroy has repeatedly spoken out against. reed called the northern irishman an "immature little child," mcilroy says reed "isn't living in reality." it all added to the drama on the final day. mcilroy began it with a three—shot lead, but reed found himself level heading into the 18th. mcilroy needed this to win it, and made the putt, describing the victory as "emotional:" that's all your sport for now. you can follow the latest transfer news on the bbc sport website. join 0lly foster with sportsday at 630 when he'll bring you the live draw for the fifth round of the women's fa cup alongside former england goalkeeper karen bardsley. back to you new research into the hiring of the over—50s shows that employers are much less open to bringing in older workers than they are younger people. the study, carried out by the chartered management institute showed just 42% of employers

are open to hiring people aged between 50 and 64. it comes days after the chancellor jeremy hunt urged people who've retired early to return to work in order to help grow the economy. let's get more on this from the head of policy at the charity age uk, chris brooks. hello to you. thank you so much for joining us. reading this story, it is one of those issues that one thinks, sadly, rings true. what is it about older workers that they face discrimination? what is the block for an players?— block for an players? good afternoon. _ block for an players? good afternoon. thanks - block for an players? good afternoon. thanks for - block for an players? good i afternoon. thanks for having block for an players? good - afternoon. thanks for having me on. it is an issue that's been ongoing since advair, really. we always hear a lot about an players who are really reluctant to hire older workers and we hear from lots and lots of people who really struggle

to get back into work or to progress their careers. unfortunately, there are just a number of stereotypes of older workers, which are held true by members of the public, even though there is often not really much evidence to support them. lots of them players when they run around of them players when they run around of recruitment will approach it by almost putting to side any older applicants commit 50 plus applicants they might have because they might think things like if i hire them, they won't want to take part in the training that they need to do, or they are just kicking around until they are just kicking around until they retire. they are not really going to be productive. those kinds of attitudes are still far too commonplace in our own polling has suggested that about a third of older workers believe they have actually been the victim of some sort of age discrimination in the workplace. this suggests that it's really right and it's an issue that affects a lot of people. so really right and it's an issue that affects a lot of people.— really right and it's an issue that affects a lot of people. so what can somebody who _ affects a lot of people. so what can somebody who is _ affects a lot of people. so what can somebody who is over _ affects a lot of people. so what can somebody who is over 50, - affects a lot of people. so what can somebody who is over 50, what - affects a lot of people. so what can | somebody who is over 50, what can they do to try to counteract some of these prejudices?—

these pre'udices? well, obviously, these prejudices? well, obviously, these prejudices _ these prejudices? well, obviously, these prejudices aren't _ these prejudices? well, obviously, these prejudices aren't sure - these prejudices? well, obviously, these prejudices aren't sure of - these prejudices aren't sure of everybody. they are probably not sure of the majority of people. so there are things they can do if they are starting to get thatjob. it is struggling to find work in the vast majority of workers are in employment. to stay out of work for a very long time and it's obviously very serious. people can do things like thinking what to prejudice might a recruiting manager hold about me, so if you are writing a cd or going into a job interview you may be able to address some of those, like tackling head on the concept that you may not be interested in taking part in any training and you can make it really clear that you are willing to train, not only willing but perhaps keen to get stuck in, learn new skills and progress your career, so tackling

some of the stereotypes had on can be one thing people can do. does this surprise _ be one thing people can do. does this surprise you _ be one thing people can do. does this surprise you that _ be one thing people can do. does this surprise you that fewer than half of the employers surveyed would hire somebody over the age of 50? it's not hugely surprising. i think from the feedback we get from members of the public, it is probably something to be expected. we hear from so probably something to be expected. we hearfrom so many probably something to be expected. we hear from so many people that they've encountered so many problems, often it's not really overt discrimination, so some people saying i'm not hiring anybody aged over 50, saying i'm not hiring anybody aged over50, it's saying i'm not hiring anybody aged over 50, it's more subtle, so going into an interview and they will be asked subtle questions or remarks over their gray hair or the way they look or something like that that suggests that in players and taking them seriously. so it's probably not surprising i mean in the end, there are a huge number of them players in the uk, well over a million in fact and so the majority of them are

small businesses and they are run by members of the public, so they hold the same views that are widespread across the wider public, so that means that we really need to try to tackle the ageist attitudes and remove some of these negative stereotypes and to promote more positive stereotypes of older workers. qm. and to promote more positive stereotypes of older workers. ok, we have to leave — stereotypes of older workers. ok, we have to leave it _ stereotypes of older workers. ok, we have to leave it there, _ stereotypes of older workers. ok, we have to leave it there, thank - have to leave it there, thank you very much indeed. thank you. it was billed as "the coolest club you never want to be a part of" and "a candid guide to all the highs and lows of cancer". now — after five years of laughter, tears and honesty — the podcast "you me and the big c" will soon be taking a break. they're broadcasting a special one—off episode, filmed in front of a live audience. tim muffett was there. we are three friends, we are also bloggers, we all have one thing in common — we all have or we have had cancer. rachael bland, lauren mahon and dame deborahjames. the original presenters

of you, me and the big c. launched in 2018, it was funny... i'm not going to look at you. i'm going to... a crying poo is not what we need right now. laughter. it was heartbreaking. all the way home, i was just saying to freddie, i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry. 0h. don't, because you're going to make me... i sorry. it's the first thing that made me cry and the whole 12 episodes. now a very special episode. see you, m and the big c, we are going live to a studio audience. and we are very excited. cheering. dame deborahjames died last year. rachael bland died in 2018. her husband, steve, then became one of the presenters. hello, everyone. hello, everyone, good evening. welcome to you, me and the big c live! it feels like kind of the essence of the podcast. it was never reallyjust meant to be in a studio talking to a microphone.

it's bringing people here who, i imagine most of them are quite experienced, or have something to do with cancer. and, you know, sharing the podcast with them. i'm the fifth person in my family to develop breast cancer. why did you want to share it publicly? i thought i could wait until the surgery is over and i hopefully make it through and i'm feeling stronger and feeling 0k to talk about it, but that could be months. i've listened from virtually- the first episode and they have totally altered the perception of cancen _ i do encourage everyone to get a colonoscopy if you have been scheduled for one. don't be scared of them because they are quite funny, at the same time. you talk about shining light in the dark. i really felt an affinity, - particularly with rachael bland, because i had exactly the same type as breast cancer as her. _ and it gave me hope. you need to know where you are so that you can get on and do the things that you need to do. unfortunately c is in our life, everyone's life, at some point. and so, yeah, it resonates massively.

he is now officially in remission. cheering. you, me and the big c has made people laugh, it's made people cry, but, most importantly, it has been informative. both the nhs and the institute of cancer research say it's given a major boost to the number of people checking potential cancer symptoms early. last year, honorary doctorate degrees were awarded to lauren and steve for the impact the podcast has had. a posthumous degree was awarded to dame deborahjames, whose sister sarah and brother ben were at the live show. i think the spontaneity of her is how i remember her. and just her laugh. # when you touch me like this...# she just had this vision of wanting to give more people more time through doing something good and using her platform to raise as much money,

as much engagement, as much awareness and she could, really. it must make you feel immensely proud? yes. tinged with sadness, obviously, deborah not being here any more, but the legacy she's left behind. this is what deborah wanted. lauren and steve are now stepping away from the podcast. it has been a massive privilege. you have been like our therapy group, our best mates, our support group, our everything. so it's been... oh, it is going to get all teary now, isn't it? it's like a very organic end for us to step back because we've both got... i've not had cancer for five years. steve has moved on with his life, remarried. yeah, hopefully, we have done a good job in changing the way people talk about cancer. by talking, listening and sharing, the impact of this podcast has been profound. you can watch that special episode

of "you, me and the big c" right here on the bbc news channel at 8.30 tonight, and of course you can listen to that episode — and all of the previous ones — on bbc sounds. joining us now from the institute of cancer research in sutton are prof paul workman and dr naureen starling. good afternoon to you. i don't know if you are able to hear that piece thatjust if you are able to hear that piece that just went out, if you are able to hear that piece thatjust went out, but one of the people who was being interviewed said that the podcast had totally altered the perception of cancer. would you agree with that? yes. altered the perception of cancer. would you agree with that? yes, i would. ithink— would you agree with that? yes, i would. i think you _ would you agree with that? yes, i would. i think you me _ would you agree with that? yes, i would. i think you me and - would you agree with that? yes, i would. i think you me and the - would you agree with that? yes, i would. i think you me and the big| would. i think you me and the big c has been absolutely phenomenal for raising awareness. at the pleasure to get to know dame deborah as a result of the interaction that we had. i think it's been absolutely brilliant. so we are delighted at the institute to be able us to be associated with them.— the institute to be able us to be associated with them. that's great. tell us a bit — associated with them. that's great. tell us a bit more _

associated with them. that's great. tell us a bit more about _ associated with them. that's great. tell us a bit more about the - associated with them. that's great. tell us a bit more about the sort i associated with them. that's great. tell us a bit more about the sort of| tell us a bit more about the sort of work and research that you are doing at the institut.— at the institut. what we do here at the institute _ at the institut. what we do here at the institute of _ at the institut. what we do here at the institute of cancer _ at the institut. what we do here at the institute of cancer research - at the institut. what we do here at the institute of cancer research is| the institute of cancer research is to understand the fundamental workings of cancer, figure out what's gone wrong with the genes and the molecules in cancer cells, and then we design drugs here in the institute, and one of the labs here where we make potential new drug compounds, and since 2005, we discovered 21 new drug candidates and we've taken 13 of those into clinical trial just across the and we've taken 13 of those into clinical trialjust across the road with our friends in the royal marsden hospital. so it's a real bench to bedside. find marsden hospital. so it's a real bench to bedside. and although for an one bench to bedside. and although for anyone who — bench to bedside. and although for anyone who has — bench to bedside. and although for anyone who has a _ bench to bedside. and although for anyone who has a cancer _ bench to bedside. and although for| anyone who has a cancer diagnosis, it is bound to come as a huge shock. from what you say, research and potential treatments is progressing in leaps and bounds.—

potential treatments is progressing in leaps and bounds. absolutely. as a result of the _ in leaps and bounds. absolutely. as a result of the research _ in leaps and bounds. absolutely. as a result of the research that - in leaps and bounds. absolutely. as a result of the research that we - in leaps and bounds. absolutely. as a result of the research that we and | a result of the research that we and others have done over the last a0 years, we have doubled the survival of patients receiving at the statement cancer diagnosis. in fact, a cancer patient can now, more than half of patients given a cancer diagnosis can expect to live for more than ten years, which is a huge increase compared to how things were before. and just in the very last few months and years, we have seen spectacular breakthroughs in immune therapy and what we call targeted or precision medicine. i think there is real hope now for even further progress. real hope now for even further rouress. �* real hope now for even further progress-— real hope now for even further rouress.�* , , ., progress. and presumably, you would auree progress. and presumably, you would a . ree that progress. and presumably, you would agree that programmes _ progress. and presumably, you would agree that programmes like _ progress. and presumably, you would agree that programmes like the - agree that programmes like the podcast, which encourage people to talk about cancer and also to check themselves will have a big impact because a cancer found early is

themselves will have a big impact because a cancerfound early is much more treatable than one that is found later on.— more treatable than one that is found later on. absolutely right. if ou can found later on. absolutely right. if you can detect _ found later on. absolutely right. if you can detect cancer— found later on. absolutely right. if you can detect cancer early, - found later on. absolutely right. if you can detect cancer early, then l you can detect cancer early, then you can detect cancer early, then you can detect cancer early, then you can have an early diagnosis can surgery, radiotherapy, you could have drawn therapy, the likelihood of success increases with the earlier that the cancer is detected, so everything like this podcast that helps people in the public to check, as you say, and to follow the advice, see their gp and report symptoms early, absolutely, we would encourage that. qm. symptoms early, absolutely, we would encourage that-— encourage that. ok, we have to leave it there. encourage that. ok, we have to leave it there- thank— encourage that. ok, we have to leave it there. thank you _ encourage that. ok, we have to leave it there. thank you so _ encourage that. ok, we have to leave it there. thank you so much. - if you are someone that you now have been affected by cancer and you want to find a list of organisations who might be able to help, you can go on to the bbc�*s action line, and that is...

nine minutes to 6pm let's take a look now at something completely different, because there are several billion combinations, but only one solution — for many, the rubik's cube isn'tjust a game, but a competitive sport too. hundreds of the puzzle's fans have descended on glasgow this weekend for a competition, racing against the clock — and each other — in speed time—trials. the cube has experienced something of a renaissance recently, with a new generation taking up the puzzle during the covid pandemic. we went along to meet some of the competitors. i can usually solve the cube in under 6 seconds. my name is tymon kolasinski, and i'm one of the 3x3 rubik's cube world record holders. we're at a competition here in glasgow. there are 155 registered competitors and they're all trying to compete and get their best results.

but the rubik's cube is very important to me because it's like i have i have my own distraction from whatever's happening. it's reallyjust something that's really calming to me. i first started cubing on, like, two years ago on christmas day and my first solve was a couple of hours later. once i picked it up, i couldn't put it down. we always had a rubik's cube lying somewhere around the house. so at one point i was like, well, it'll be cool to solve one. so i looked up how to do it on the internet, and when i did, i also came across competitions. and basically, ever since then, i'vejust been cubing, like, all day, every day. you can choose how competitive you are about it. i mean, for me, it's all competitive. as well as the standard 3x3, this competition offers - events such as one—handed, i 3x3 blindfolded, then variations are for 3x3, like the 2x2, i which is a smaller version, and the 6x6 and 7x7 .

which are a lot bigger. i can personally do it one—handed but i'm trying to learn blindfolded, but it's really hard, it's really addicting. and sometimes you can be up really late doing it and not even realise it. now, the german state of bavaria is none of the most picturesque places on earth, many of the people living there love to commune with nature, but they can sometimes be a little competitive about it. tim allman explains. they are a majestic sight. one of the most impressive animals in the wild. but imagine for a moment that you might, for some reason, want to attract the attention of a stag or deer. how would you do that, you may wonder. how about this? imitates grunting stag. these are some of the competitors in the annual stag—calling championships, held every year in the city of dortmund.

imitates stag call. it's an eclectic mix of groans, grunts and wails, each one designed to be as close to the sound of the animal as possible. translation: you 'ust call during the rut, i around mid—september some time, and then, the stag—calling actually goes quiet most of the time. and a week before the contest, you practice to see if you can still do it. some attempt stag calling solo... imitates stag grunts. ..while others find safety in numbers... all imitate stag groans. ..and you can do it almost anywhere. translation: when they're rutting, i i have to drive over and call them. i i've also called in a zoo once, and the stag answers, and when you hear deer answering from right and left, it makes your heart beat faster. next up for the stag—calling

community is the european championships. this is a centuries—old tradition. the call of the wild... stag groaning. ..or something near enough. tim allman, bbc news. stag calling, who knew that was a pain? 0k, now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello, there. much of this week will be fine and settled, plenty be fine and settled, of sunshine up and on the country plenty of sunshine up and on the country today. the crowd did increase across the north and west of the uk ahead of a frontal system which will continue to work its way southwards and eastwards tonight, tending to fizzle out as it does so. as you can see here, this frontal system breaking into scotland, northern ireland, or bricks of rain ice and brace squeezing closer together, so turning windier during the night here. further south, clear skies, lighterwinds,

the night here. further south, clear skies, lighter winds, that cloud and rain parks itself across more essential parts of the uk towards the end of the night. it will be chilly with clear spells, behind it, windier so there will not to be any problems with frost. temperatures range from 5—7 celsius. a blustery day across the board on tuesday, the weather front will be pushing southwards, barely anything on it by the time it reaches something southeast england. it eventually clears away, skies brighten up your. the out shower in western areas, but the northern half of the country will be windy with gales developing here, plenty of blustery showers. sunny spells too, but it will be extremely windy, in fact, for northern and western scotland, parts of northern ireland. temperatures in single digits across the north. now, some concerns as we had to tuesday evening, certainly overnight, the winds really pick up across scotland, northern ireland, particularly so for the north highlands into 0rkney and shetland where we could see costs in excess of 70-80

where we could see costs in excess of 70—80 mph, so a swathe of severe gales moving across this north east corner of scotland into the early hours of wednesday, could see some disruption here to the ferry services. the winds of the easing down through the day, but it's going to be a blustery one on wednesday. sunny spells, scattered showers. those winds again feature in the north but not as strong as what we will have through the latter part of tuesday early part of wednesday. temperatures range from 7—11 celsius. as we move towards the end of the become of this area of high pressure to the south will slowly push northwards tending to keep these weather fronts at bay. so it could be more than parts of scotland which could see the windiest of the weather with rain at times, but for most, it will stay largely settled thanks to high pressure and generally on the mild side.

at 6:00, firefighters across the uk have voted to go on strike for the first time in 20 years. the fire brigades union says firefighters and control room staff voted overwhelmingly to take action over pay. 0ur action over pay. members love theirjob and proud of our members love theirjob and proud of their communities, but they also have to pay their bills. they are struggling to do that. we now have firefighters been sent to food banks. it comes ahead of the biggest strike action for decades this wedensday — when teachers, railway workers and civil servants are among those who will walk out. also on the programme... the government promises more ambulances and hospital beds for the nhs in england — will it be enough to solve the a&e crisis? the prime minister says

he acted "pretty decisively" in sacking nadhim zahawi as the conservative party chairman,