said the headlines that 2pm... hudgins is thousands of teachers on strike in what is the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales will stay open, with the national education union saying 85% of schools are affected and is calling for ministers to engage with talks. . ., , , ., h, calling for ministers to engage with talks. . ., , , ., ,., ., talks. rather than messing about and doinu talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing. _ talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which _ talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is— talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is what - talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is what they - doing nothing, which is what they have done since lastjuly, the government should seriously get around the table now and start to negotiate. we around the table now and start to neuotiate. ~ . ., .,, negotiate. we are having those wide-ranging — negotiate. we are having those wide-ranging discussions. - negotiate. we are having those| wide-ranging discussions. what negotiate. we are having those i wide-ranging discussions. what is wide—ranging discussions. what is not realistic is for us to be looking _ not realistic is for us to be looking at inflation or in inflation busting —

looking at inflation or in inflation busting pay rises. at looking at inflation or in inflation busting pay rises.— busting pay rises. at prime minister's _ busting pay rises. at prime minister's questions, - busting pay rises. at prime minister's questions, the l busting pay rises. at prime - minister's questions, the labour leader attacks rishi sunak on his response to bullying claims against dominic raab. the prime minister says he has acted quickly in relation to the allegations. hoar relation to the allegations. how would he feel— relation to the allegations. how would he feel if— relation to the allegations. how would he feel if one _ relation to the allegations. how would he feel if one of - relation to the allegations. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives who is being forced to work for a bully, simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it?— man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of formal _ anything about it? when i was made aware of formal complaints, - anything about it? when i was made aware of formal complaints, i - aware of formal complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation because i'd take _ to conduct an investigation because i'd take action when these things happen — i'd take action when these things ha en. ,, . , happen. the us vice president, kamala harris, _ happen. the us vice president, kamala harris, is _ happen. the us vice president, kamala harris, is among - happen. the us vice president, kamala harris, is among those| happen. the us vice president, - kamala harris, is among those who will be attending the funeral of tyre nichols later today. the 29—year—old died after being beaten by memphis police officers during a traffic stop. and also visit our... the tiny radioactive capsule which fell off a lorry on a desert highway

in australia has been found. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. it's thought to be the biggest day of industrial action, according to unions, in more than a decade across the uk, with tens of thousands of people on strike in disputes over pay, jobs, and conditions. teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university staff, bus drivers — all are on strike in different parts of the country, with teachers in the national education union, the largest group of workers, on the picket lines. it's estimated up to 85% of schools are affected. our education correspondent, elaine dunkley, has been speaking to some of those on strike in liverpool.

cheering. from london to stoke, from cardiff to aberdeen, teachers are out on strike across britain. at chesterfield high in crosby, the school gates are closed. more than 1,000 children are at home, whilst teachers are on picket lines in a dispute over pay. i've been doing it 20 years now and, unfortunately, you watch a lot of really good young teachers come and go because they can get the same money elsewhere, without as much pressure. people are, you know, scrimping on shopping, struggling with electricity bills, etc. genuine worries that, you know, can't be avoided. you can'tjust stop paying your bills. if anybody knows a teacher, they'll know that it's not - just a nine—to—five job. every weekend, every i evening, early mornings, it's a huge workload, but we do it for the l love of the children. one, two, three, four, five, six. down the road, at our lady queen of peace school, three classes have been sent home.

the head is determined that those not in school won't fall behind. we'll ensure that the children do catch up, and this is not easy, but those children will be given extra tuition. this is what we're fighting for, we want extra staff within the schools. we're possibly looking at deficit budgets next year. that could result in losing many extra staff. if you've got a capital 0, - have you got it right or wrong? last year, most teachers were given a 5% pay rise, but many schools paid for it out of the existing school budget. the national education union wants a fully—funded, above—inflation pay rise. the thing that's driving our members is the state of crisis that's in many schools — that there are gcse chemistry classes, gcse maths classes being taught by people who don't have qualifications in chemistry and maths, that there are primary classrooms where we can't get permanent staff. and we think that's rooted, partly, in funding of schools and the funding of pay for people to work in those jobs.

this is ravenscliffe high school, in halifax. the children here have a wide range of special educational needs. today, more than 100 pupils will have to stay at home because of the strike. it's really hard, but it's part of a much bigger picture, and it is about the sustainability of education and special education in particular, going forward. recruitment is a major issue. staff are leaving. meanwhile, the school is having to take on more pupils. many special schools like ours are really struggling to recruit quality staff and retain them. the pay is not good. people here work here because they love the job, because they're really committed to the school, because they're passionate about children with special needs, not because of the salaries. three years ago, we had about 195 children on roll. we've now got nearly 250, and that will go up again in september. this is a crisis, this is not sustainable, we cannot continue like this. no school can continue like this. the government says it's open for talks and has called the strikes "hugely disappointing".

we've actually given teachers the highest pay rise in 30 years. that includes a 9% pay rise for newly qualified teachers and record investment in their training and development. i am clear that our children's education is precious and they deserve to be in school today, being taught. the placards are about pay, but behind the signs are teachers protesting about numerous pressures in the classroom. if an agreement isn't reached, schools will have three more days of strike action over the coming months. the council here in liverpool have told us that 40% of schools are fully closed today. across england and wales, more than 20,000 schools have been impacted by the strike. there is no indication of when the government will get back round the table for discussions with the national education union, but both say they are keen to talk. but with

the ne you pushing for a fully funded pay rise, there could be a long way to go in the discussions. since the strikes were announced, the union has had 40,000 new members join and if this dispute is resolved, there could be much more disruption this term and next for teachers, parents and of course pupils. in wales, the government there says it will continue to hold meetings with the unions to try and settle the dispute. 0ur correspondent tomos morgan has the latest from cardiff. there are about 1500 schools in wales. we have calculated that nearly a third of those are closed today. this one behind me is closed today. this one behind me is closed to pupils, but there are teachers not on strike who have gone in today. so the dispute and the pressures and impact on schools is varied across the country. most are affected in some way but there is a postcode lottery, if you like. for example, in the local authority of blaenau gwent in east wales, all

schools are sent there by one. but if you go to west wales to ceredigion, they are all open over there with only eight schools with a couple of classrooms and a couple of people having to spend time. so it's a really varied picture. the education minister here has offered one—off pay deal to the unions. that has been flatly rejected. they want a consolidated pay rise but at the moment, it is impossible to see how thatis moment, it is impossible to see how that is going to happen because the welsh government say they haven't got the money to fund that fully. they need more money from westminster to do so and they are not prepared to raise as they have to fund any pay rises at the moment. it looks like there will be more strikes on the way, because i can't see how this is going to be resolved any time soon. teachers in scotland have already been on strike in recent weeks. 0ur correspondent ben philip is in aberdeen for us and has the latest on any sign of a possible breakthrough there. this is day 13 of 16 in the latest

strike action by teachers by teachers in scotland. members of the eis teaching union have been striking in two different parts of scotland per day since mid—january. today it's the turn of teachers here in aberdeen and also in clackmannanshire. teachers this morning have been taking to picket lines and it's resulted in dozens of schools being closed across the city. it all centres on this pay dispute. teachers in scotland would like a 10% pay uplift, something the scottish government and council bosses have described as unaffordable. the current offer that is on the table is typically worth around 5%, slightly more for lower earners. i think there is a general frustration growing among teachers that a new and improved pay deal hasn't been received. there's a rally ongoing at the moment in the beach ballroom here in aberdeen behind me. and there's really no end

in sight to this dispute. further strike dates are planned in february, march and april. meanwhile, the scottish education secretary, shirley—anne somerville, says she is committed to finding a resolution to this dispute, but has warned that money will have to come from elsewhere in education if it goes towards teacher pay. we are going to talk about the politics of all of this in the next couple of minutes because there are lots of strikes going on today. but let's stay now with the specifics of the teacher strike. i'm joined now by the former liberal democrat schools minister and executive chairman of the education policy institute think—tank, david laws. you will have felt the anger coming from the picket lines. your thoughts on how wedded to this strike teaching staff are, where this is

going to go and how it can get resolved?— going to go and how it can get resolved? ., ., ,., , resolved? there are two points i want to make. _ resolved? there are two points i want to make. the _ resolved? there are two points i want to make. the first - resolved? there are two points i want to make. the first is - resolved? there are two points i want to make. the first is that i want to make. the first is that whatever position you take over whether the strike is justified, whatever position you take over whether the strike isjustified, the disruption to schools at this time is very worrying, given that there are millions of children whose education still hasn't recovered, whose learning hasn't recovered from all the disruption to schools that we remember during covid. and we saw the results of that disruption in the results of that disruption in the primary school test results last year that came out and were well below the level of maths and english competence that we saw before the pandemic. so the priority for everybody needs to be to end this disruption and get young people completing that progress in their recovery from the covid disruption. the second point i would make is that this is a worrying strike, for

one simple reason, which is that i think both the teaching unions and teachers and the government feel that they have got separate and competing arguments for taking the position is that they have. the teaching unions point to the fact that real teaching pay has declined by over 10% over the last decade and it is at such a level that we are struggling to recruit good teachers, particularly into secondary schools at the moment. the government is pointing out, as you mention, that this is a higher pay increase than normal, that it is short of money and that if it increases pay for teachers, it will have to do so for all sorts of public sector workers. so this has all the hallmarks of a dispute that if we are not careful could drag on for a long time and damage young people �*s recovery from the pandemic. in damage young people 's recovery from the pandemic— the pandemic. in relation to education — the pandemic. in relation to education specifically, - the pandemic. in relation to education specifically, is - the pandemic. in relation to| education specifically, is the the pandemic. in relation to -

education specifically, is the issue fundamentally resources, by which i mean it is striking to hear teachers saying, i have had a small pay rise over the last few years, but that pay rise has come out of the existing school budget. so it is not fully funded. and that phrase, fully funded, keeps coming back. is that an issue? if you were in government, would you be trying to find the money to put more into the sector? yes, the government will say they have recently increased the schools budget by a bit. but for every pound that goes into teaching pay, that money is not available for other parts of the education budget. so it is understandable that when the government thinks of the proposal to give teacher pay rise above inflation this year, they point out that that would be really difficult to accommodate within the education and schools budget without cutting other services. the government is in a mess with its finances at the

moment, as we know. it is trying to restrain public spending and it is worried about inflationary pressures across the public sector. so to resolve this teaching dispute, we are going to need movement on both sides in the negotiation. ultimately, the teaching unions are going to have to accept that and above inflation pay rise this year would be very difficult to get out of any government. but the government also needs to accept that over the last decade, teacher pay has fallen significantly behind inflation. that is causing a problem with recruitment, particularly for some of the shortage subjects, the sciences and so forth. the government has to get teacher pay back on track to grow in real terms over the next couple of years if it is not to add to that recruitment crisis. so part of the issue is what the government is going to be able to say about pay settlements for this year and next year and the

evidence they give to the pay review bodies. �* ., ,., evidence they give to the pay review bodies. �* ., , , ., bodies. and also, surely some of what ou bodies. and also, surely some of what you are _ bodies. and also, surely some of what you are saying _ bodies. and also, surely some of what you are saying applies - bodies. and also, surely some of what you are saying applies to i bodies. and also, surely some of| what you are saying applies to the nhs. we have talked about nursing strikes in recent weeks. you run an education think—tank, but there will be lots of people watching this saying yes, this teachers deserve it, but so do nurses and so on. that is wh it it, but so do nurses and so on. that is why it is — it, but so do nurses and so on. that is why it is difficult _ it, but so do nurses and so on. that is why it is difficult for _ it, but so do nurses and so on. twat is why it is difficult for the government to concede on this without adding significantly to public expenditure in the short term when the public finances haven't been good. as you point out, the argument for teachers is similar to people who work in the nhs. there are university lectures on strike. there are implications of any government concessions for pay across the whole of the public sector. every concession in one area has implications for another negotiation. that is why the

government will be determined not to give too much ground this year. but they have to accept that public sector workers collectively have had a difficult deal over the last decade and if we don't start to turn that around, we are going to have recruitment problems notjust in schools and hospitals and other parts of the public sector which will be difficult to deal with. ultimately, the government will have to give some ground too, but they will want to try to make those concessions in the next pay settlement and the one that comes after. and it is always much more difficult for unions to settle for a promise of something in the future. that is why this dispute is really difficult and why we have to work hard between all the different parties to try and put young people's interests at the centre of this, otherwise we are going to delay the recovery of young people's learning from the pandemic even further. ., , .,

further. david laws from the education — further. david laws from the education policy _ further. david laws from the education policy institute i education policy institute think—tank, formerly a liberal democrat schools minister, thank you. now, let's turn our attention to the situation on the railways. rail passengers have been told to check before they travel today because of strike action. train drivers in the aslef and rmt unions are also due to stage another walk—out on friday. 0ur transport correspondent, katy austin, has more details. picket lines and empty stations have become a familiar sight. today and friday, some operators are running no trains at all. while commuters can work from home, some passengers like these at london euston station were frustrated. i live in manchester, so i had to stay over last night. i missed my little boy's birthday last week because i could not get a train. i've had enough of it. this time, it is more than 12,000

train drivers walking out. rail workers on the picket line say they cannot do interviews because it could put theirjob at risk, but train drivers i've spoken to say that the dispute is not just about pay, but also protecting working conditions. the union aslef which represents most drivers already rejected an initial offer involving 4% pay rise two years in a row saying that too many were attached. as we go on, inflation gets higher and higher and the ability than to do a deal with high inflation and high cost of living when everybody wants to take everything you have and give you nothing for it is a difficult place to be. ultimately, the government holds the purse strings and has to approve any offer that's made. a spokesperson says ministers continue to facilitate reasonable conversations between unions and employers. the group representing train companies in the negotiations insisted they and the union needed to keep trying to find common ground.

we want to emphasise the need for us to give our staff a pay increase, but we cannot afford that without the level of reform that can try and stop us having to take additionalfunding from the taxpayer, especially in this challenging time. the industry helps to arrange fresh talks next week and without a breakthrough strikes seem likely and that is something that businesses make this coffee shop near ashford station in kent are dreading. i have sympathy for them and i know that they're out there for a reason, but it is affecting our business. there's only so long we can carry on in this situation with it hurting so much. separately the rmt which represents other rail workers is getting feedback from its members on the opposite has received so far before its committee decides what to do next. joining me now is our political correspondent, jonathan blake. there's railways, teachers and more nhs strikes to come. where does this

go now? the datesjust nhs strikes to come. where does this go now? the dates just keep coming. they do, and despite the continued industrial action and the promised strikes in the coming days and weeks, the government is standing firm. there is no sign of a shift at the moment in the overall position that rishi sunak and his government has, and that is to pay public sector workers in line with or even over and above the current rate of inflation would make the problem worse and would cause prices to rise ever higher. that is not a universally held view. it is something which many people argue is not necessarily the case and that the government could, if it chose to, afford to pay nurses, train drivers, teachers and other public sector workers more than they are currently getting and more than the independent pay review body has recommended and the government has

agreed to. sector by sector, there are differing signs of progress. if you look at the railways, they look to be relatively close to some kind of compromise on either side which could lead to a solution. in terms of the school strikes which are getting attention today in england and wales, with the education secretary gillian keegan this morning saying she has had meetings with the union leaders earlier this week in which they discussed a range of issues. the government is happy to talk about those and concede on them, whether it is working conditions, or recruitment and retention, but there is the sticking point of pay. and it doesn't seem at the moment that the government is willing to budge on that, and the prime minister has said his number one priority is reducing inflation, evenif one priority is reducing inflation, even if that means dealing with the ongoing disruption that strike action is causing.—

ongoing disruption that strike action is causing. ongoing disruption that strike action is causin. . ., �* .,~ ., action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster- _ action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and _ action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and we _ action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and we are _ action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and we are going i action is causing. jonathan blake at westminster. and we are going to l westminster. and we are going to talk more about the strikes after 2.30, but now let's look at some of the other main stories. two men, mohamed el abboud and kusai al—jundi, have been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years, for killing a 71—year—old woman in a plot to steal her life savings and take over her rental properties. louise kam disappeared injuly 2021. her body was eventually found dumped in a rubbish bin the following month, and she'd been strangled. helena wilkinson has more from the old bailey. this is 71—year—old businesswoman louise kam, who was callously murdered for her money. the two men, who she met through a mutualfriend, targeted louise for her property in a sophisticated fraud. in this video, filmed at one of the properties she rented, el—abboud is seen boasting to his friends about his new lifestyle. he had moved in before the murder

and treated it as his own home. his friend, al—jundi, masterminded the deception and spent months trying to deceive louise kam into giving him control of her finances. today they were sentenced in proceedings that were televised. after you had killed louise, you took her mobile phone and bank cards. messages were sent from her phone purporting to be from her to her family and to her close friends. in those messages, you sought to deceive those who loved and cared for louise as to her true whereabouts and what it was that you had done to her. after the murder, mohamed el—abboud posted this video on social media apparently celebrating. the pair then disposed of louise kam's body in this wheelie bin, where she was later discovered by police. in a victim personal statement read to court,

louise kam's son, gregory, said that he had been left feeling numb and grief—stricken. the pair will spend at least 35 years in prison for the murder of a pensioner, committed out of greed. helen wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. large crowds are expected in the american city of memphis, for the funeral of tyre nichols. five black police officers have been charged in connection with the 29—year—old's death. the vice—president kamala harris, and the family of george floyd, who was killed by a police officer in minneapolis in 2020, will attend the service. 0ur north america editor, sarah smith, has more from memphis. large crowds are expected to brave freezing temperatures in memphis to attend the funeral of 29—year—old tyre nichols. a eulogy will be delivered by the veteran civil rights campaigner the reverend al sharpton.

what happened to tyre is a disgrace to this country. there's no other way to describe what has happened in this situation. they said, "nojustice..." no peace! the service will also feature demands for a significant police reform — to try to avoid similar tragedies happening in future. the first black us vice—president, kamala harris, will be attending, a sign ofjust how big an impact this incident has had across america. the killing of tyre nichols has shocked the nation, but people in memphis say it's not surprising. they have frequently witnessed violent attacks, often against black people, in their city. the five police officers seen brutally attacking tyre nichols in the videos released by the memphis police department are also black. campaigners say that shows how deeply racism is embedded in police culture, when even black policemen are more likely to assault black victims and think they can get away with it. those officers have already

been sacked and charged with second—degree murder. since the videos were made public, one other white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been suspended, as have two emergency medical staff who appeared to be standing around, not offering assistance as mr nichols was lying injured in the road. tyre nichols�* parents say they will not feeljustice has been done until everyone involved in his death has been charged and is facing a criminal trial. they want new laws that would compel the police to intervene if a suspect is being assaulted by fellow officers and to offer assistance to anyone who's been injured as a result. sarah smith, bbc news, memphis. at that funeral is taking place in memphis in a couple of hours' time and we will have more from the us on that story later in the afternoon. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. let's turn our attention to a

different story, the outcome of the legal case that you may be aware of. owners of four flats opposite the tate modern's viewing gallery have won a legal case in court today, relating to levels of intrusion that prevent them from enjoying their homes. you can see into their flats from the viewing gallery at tate modern. the court determined that the flat owners faced a "contstant owners faced a "constant visual intrusion" that impact their right to privacy. we have a real estates dispute partner, james souter, to discuss what this verdict means. people who have been following this know that this has gone through court after court. it had to go to a very high court to find in favour of the flat owners today. let's get

your thoughts. are you surprised it reached this point? i your thoughts. are you surprised it reached this point?— reached this point? i think there is siunificant reached this point? i think there is significant surprise _ reached this point? i think there is significant surprise in _ reached this point? i think there is significant surprise in the - reached this point? i think there is significant surprise in the legal i significant surprise in the legal community. probably the large body of the profession expected the decisions of the high court and the court of appeal to be upheld this morning by the supreme court. so it came as a surprise that having lost in the high court, having lost in the court of appeal, that the neighbouring flat owners succeeded in the supreme court. it was a split decision of the court. it was 3—2, which shows you how finely balanced it was. so there is an element of surprise, a very interesting story. the viewing platform at tate modern openedin the viewing platform at tate modern opened in 2016. so is part of the judgment here about who was there first? there is so much construction in that part of london that it is hard to remember whether the platform came first or whether the

blocks of flats were still being built at that point. some people would say, if you're going to live in that area, you can't really miss the tate modern. it is in that area, you can't really miss the tate modern.— in that area, you can't really miss the tate modern. it is the people in class the tate modern. it is the people in glass houses _ the tate modern. it is the people in glass houses argument. _ the tate modern. it is the people in glass houses argument. i _ the tate modern. it is the people in glass houses argument. i think- the tate modern. it is the people in glass houses argument. i think the | glass houses argument. i think the two buildings were developed around the same time and actually, the flats were occupied before the viewing gallery opened. but the supreme court made it clear that thatis supreme court made it clear that that is not what is important. what's important is balancing the interests of neighbours. the court is acutely aware that we are talking about central london. in a cityscape, you can expect an amount of overlooking from your neighbours. but what the court defined as visual intrusion goes over and above that. the numbers are dramatic. the viewing platform was estimated to have up to half a million visitors each year, and it is only 30 metres orso each year, and it is only 30 metres or so away from these glass—walled flats. you can imagine that that is 1600 people a day looking into your

property. the supreme court said it is difficult to imagine anyone who wouldn't consider that to be an unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of your home. so unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of your home.— unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of your home. so we don't know what the _ enjoyment of your home. so we don't know what the resolution _ enjoyment of your home. so we don't know what the resolution will - enjoyment of your home. so we don't know what the resolution will be i enjoyment of your home. so we don't know what the resolution will be in i know what the resolution will be in practical terms yet. that has yet to be decided. but will this ruling give pause to other developers or anyone involved in the world of construction and architecture? will they have to take this into account? i don't think so. i think the extreme nature of the facts ijust mentioned in terms of the numbers and the proximity, the court made it clear that this will not apply if you have two buildings standing side by side in london. it will not apply if you have someone looking out of their window into a neighbour's window. these situations are going to be rare where this new law would engage. so developers shouldn't fear the decision. engage. so developers shouldn't fear the decision-— the decision. interesting to hear our the decision. interesting to hear

your perspective _ the decision. interesting to hear your perspective. james - the decision. interesting to hear your perspective. james souter| your perspective. james souter there. that decision was made today about the tate modern viewing platform. plan for the weather. good afternoon. not all of us has been as sunny as this so far this first day of february. impact, we have had a lot of cloud and damp weather for northern ireland, have had a lot of cloud and damp weatherfor northern ireland, rain pushing on across north—west england into western scotland, but mainly dry elsewhere, temperatures north to south between the 8—11 , sojust above the average for the time of year. tonight this band of rain continues tojourney year. tonight this band of rain continues to journey northwards and eastwards and behind it the air will be turning increasingly mild, so by the end of the night 10 degrees it bears in belfast. tomorrow we will see outbreaks of rain continuing, especially across the northern half of scotland, the rain really piling up of scotland, the rain really piling up over the hills in the north—west of scotland. further south often quite large amounts of cloud, a bit

of drizzle for western hills, but limited spells of sunshine and feeling mild for pretty much all of us, 11—30 . staying mild through thursday and into saturday, sunday will turn a bit colder, but brighter, with lots of sunshine. hello this is bbc news. iamjane i amjane hill. the headlines: hundreds of thousands of workers — including school teachers — are going on strike for what will be the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales will be open, but the national education union says 85% of schools will be affected, and calls for ministers to engage in talks. train drivers have also joined industrial action and passengers are advised to check before they travel. in prime minister's questions, sir keir starmer attacked rishi sunak on his response to bullying claims against dominic raab.

the prime minister said he acted quickly to the allegations. we are going to be talking in this half hour to a teacher who has chosen to strike today, we will talk more about that. but right now, we will catch up with all the latest sports news and holly hamilton has that. hello. it is a year to the day since he announced his retirement for the very first time, but now the legendary quarterback... tom brady says this time it is for good. after 23 seasons in the nfl, he has won six super bowls with the new england patriots and one with the tampa bay buccaneers in 2021. last time he said he was retiring, he reversed his decision just six weeks later. but he says this time he means it.

iam retiring. i am retiring. for iam retiring. for good. i know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when i woke up this morning ifigured time, so when i woke up this morning i figured just time, so when i woke up this morning ifigured just press time, so when i woke up this morning i figured just press record and let you guys know first, so i won't be long winded. you only get one super emotional retirement sa and i used my up emotional retirement sa and i used my up last year, so... really, thank you guys so much, to every single one if you for supporting me. my family, my friends, my team—mates... my family, my friends, my team—mates... my competitors. i could go on forever, there are too many. thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. i wouldn't change anything. love you all. tottenham says manager antonio conte will return, following a period of recuperation after his surgery today. he was diagnosed with an inflammation of the gall bladder, after becoming "unwell with severe abdominal pain." spurs' next game is at home to second placed manchester city in the premier

league on sunday. chelsea has confirmed they have signed benfica's argentina midfielder enzo fernandez for a british record £107 million. fernandez�*s arrival takes chelsea's january spending to around £289 million and their total spend under new american owner todd boehly to more than half £1 billion. but can manager graham potter get these players to gel? how exciting can it be, when you see the players come out on a big pitch, how is he going to do it? playing today, you look at him and you go, how is it going to fit them all in? it is nearly impossible to keep all of the _ it is nearly impossible to keep all of the players happy. you try to keep _ of the players happy. you try to keep as — of the players happy. you try to keep as many players happy as you can because you are going to try to use them _ can because you are going to try to use them throughout the squad. the more _ use them throughout the squad. the more games you have got, the easier

it is to _ more games you have got, the easier it is to keep— more games you have got, the easier it is to keep players happy because you might — it is to keep players happy because you might rotate them.— you might rotate them. training imaaes you might rotate them. training images can _ you might rotate them. training images can just _ you might rotate them. training images can just become - you might rotate them. training images can just become so i you might rotate them. training i images can just become so wrong straightaway, when you see that team you're playing against them, set pieces, doing any sort of shape... it can be a big problem. the hosts of this summer's women's world cup have condemned the reported move by fifa to have saudi arabia's national tourism board as a sponsor of the tournament. the deal, which has not yet been formally announced, is part of a new commercial partnership structure to allow brands to specifically support the women's game. new zealand football say they are shocked and disappointed that they haven't been consulted on the decision. they and football australia have jointly written to fifa to urgently clarify the situation. 0 nto 0nto cricket and england are batting first after losing the toss in their third and final one—day international against south africa international against south africa in kimberley. the series is already a loss for the tourists, following the defeat in the first two games. 0llie stones is sitting this won

out, jeffrey archer back for his second match of the series. england did have an awful start and they lost their first three wickets for just 14 runs in the sixth over. a pair of centuries from jos buttler and dawid malan help to rebuild the innings, though, and were caught for 118 runs. a few minutes ago england were 313—4 in the 47th over. and while, tom curran has said he will be taking an indefinite step back from red bull cricket in order to prioritise its physical and mental health. with a packed schedule of late, the all—rounder has decided to take a temporary step back from the longer format of the game to ensure his body and mind have adequate time to recover between white bull competitions. tom curran has played 28 od competitions. tom curran has played 28 0d eyes and 32 t 20s for england, butjust two 28 0d eyes and 32 t 20s for england, but just two test matches. 28 0d eyes and 32 t 20s for england, butjust two test matches. that is all the sport for now, i will bring you more throughout the afternoon.

jane, back to you. thank you so much, holly hamilton, we will see you later with all the latest sports news. now let's talk about politics. the prime minister has defended his handling of bullying allegations against the deputy prime minister dominic raab. rishi sunak�*s comments at prime ministers�* questions come as one union leader called on the formerjustice secretary to step aside while an inquiry is carried out. mr raab denies the allegations. here's our political correspondent, ione wells. let's make him our next prime minister. please welcome rishi sunak! cheering and applause. his deputy, his close ally, and his latest political headache. questions mounting for dominic raab over bullying allegations... will you sack dominic raab, prime minister? ..leading to questions for the prime minister over whether to sack him. according to recent reports, some of the complainants were physically sick. 0ne says they were left suicidal. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully, simply because the man at the top was too weak

to do anything about it? when i was made aware of formal complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation, because i take action when these things happen. the prime minister insists it is right due process is followed by letting this lawyer finish his investigation into dominic raab. the head of the union representing civil servants disagrees. if that was any other employee, if that was a permanent secretary in the civil service, they would in all likelihood be suspended from theirjob. the investigation into dominic raab is looking at eight complaints from three government departments — from when he wasjustice secretary, brexit secretary, and foreign secretary. at least three of the most senior civil servants who ran departments with him have given evidence to the inquiry as witnesses. this investigation is not set to conclude for a couple of weeks. what it is trying to establish is did dominic raab bully staff or not?

was he, as some former colleagues have told us, very hard onjunior staff and totally unsuitable for high office, or was he — as other people who have worked with him have told us — demanding and abrasive, but not necessarily a bully. but not necessarily a bully? mr raab has said he is confident he has always behaved professionally, denies wrongdoing, and has no apologies for having high standards. but whether he has met the standards expected of him is now under scrutiny. ione wells, bbc news, westminster. let's get more on our top story, as hundreds of thousands of workers take part in what's thought to be the biggest day of strike action in more than a decade. teachers in england and wales are striking for the first time since 2016 in a walkout which, according to the national education union, could affect as many as 23,000 schools.

let's talk more about this with houda benhamouda, a teacher who is also a national education union officer organising pickets today. hello, very good afternoon to you and thank you forjoining us on a busy day for you. first of all, why have you chosen to strike, why is this important to you?— have you chosen to strike, why is this important to you? hello to you as well. this important to you? hello to you as well- well. _ this important to you? hello to you as well. well, we _ this important to you? hello to you as well. well, we have _ this important to you? hello to you as well. well, we have chosen i this important to you? hello to you as well. well, we have chosen to l as well. well, we have chosen to strike because it is this the last resort. the government has not been listening to teachers for the past decade when we have been talking about funding, the lack of funding and this profession is not becoming attractive any more. we are not able to recruit, we are not able to retain teachers and this is badly impacting on the quality of education that our children are getting overall. so we decided to strike, it is mainly about the funding and the pay increase or the

fair pay is a branch of the funding of the lack of funding and schools. you are a secondary school teacher specifically, probably worth explaining your main subject is computing, so a vital topic, but everything teachers do is important. yes. ~ ., ., ., ., , yes. would you say that the ma'ority of our yes. would you say that the ma'ority of your friends i yes. would you say that the ma'ority of your friends and i yes. would you say that the ma'ority of your friends and colleagues i yes. would you say that the majority of your friends and colleagues who i of your friends and colleagues who have also chosen to strike, would you say those are their reasons as well, that it is about the overall funding in the education sector? is that their overarching anxiety? this is the that their overarching anxiety? t'y 3 is the overarching anxiety and it has been for the past decade. the fair pay, as well, is part of the lack of funding and the workload, when you are underpaid and overworked, you only feel like you are being pushed out of the profession that you love doing, but you know it is vital and that everyone shares my sentiments about this, yes.

everyone shares my sentiments about this, es. ~ ., everyone shares my sentiments about this, es. ~ . ., ., this, yes. what about the argument, thou~h, this, yes. what about the argument, though. that — this, yes. what about the argument, though. that pupils _ this, yes. what about the argument, though, that pupils have _ this, yes. what about the argument, though, that pupils have missed i this, yes. what about the argument, though, that pupils have missed out| though, that pupils have missed out on so much in recent years because of the pandemic hand again here they are missing out again through no fault of their own? what do you say to them and to their parents? right, i will sa to them and to their parents? right, i will say the — to them and to their parents? right, i will say the following. _ to them and to their parents? right, i will say the following. a _ to them and to their parents? right, i will say the following. a day - to them and to their parents? right, i will say the following. a day out i i will say the following. a day out of school is not a loss in learning, in comparison with what the future is holding if we don't really rectify the current situation because more and more unqualified teachers are in our classrooms, more and more qualified and experienced teachers are walking out and this is the real loss of learning. when you have a class that has a 4—5 different teachers in a year, that is really lots of learning. and we have had so many days out of school that i don't remember the society being worried about the loss of learning. we have heard for example from... last year we had the jubilee, which were not school days,

which i don't remember anyone mentioning loss of learning, but it was said that it was actually good that people to get together, as in the pandemic. this was really important. this is really serious. we could end up with schools that do not have qualified teachers as a majority, that do not have experienced teachers and are not able to retain teachers. children need safety and they need continuity. they love their teachers and we want to maintain that, and to maintain that we need to fund schools and we need to offer teachers fair pay and good working conditions. {lilia teachers fair pay and good working conditions. ., ~ ~ teachers fair pay and good working conditions. . . ~ ., conditions. 0k, a quick final thou~ht conditions. 0k, a quick final thought because _ conditions. 0k, a quick final thought because just - conditions. 0k, a quick final thought because just in i conditions. 0k, a quick final thought because just in the | conditions. 0k, a quick final. thought because just in the last hour i was talking to a former schools minister, not someone who is in politics any more, but it knows how government works and he said in terms of the teachers�* strikes, he thinks both sides are going to have to give a little, both the striking teachers like yourself and the government, that the government can�*tjust government, that the government can�*t just give government, that the government can�*tjust give huge pay rises because that is inflationary. do you think that is how this is going to end? has got to be a little bit of

compromise on both sides? brute end? has got to be a little bit of compromise on both sides? we are compromising _ compromise on both sides? we are compromising. every _ compromise on both sides? we are compromising. every single - compromise on both sides? we are compromising. every single day i compromise on both sides? we are compromising. every single day we j compromising. every single day we are comprising an hourjob. sometimes i do up to 60 hours a week, and most of the hours are not paid for, i am only paid for 37 hours a week. no teachers, no teacher only does the hours they are paid for, we are already compromising way beyond our means. we are compromising the time that we don�*t spend with our families, we are compromising with the bills, we are compromising with the bills, we are compromising with our mental health and i don�*t think we are ready to compromise any more. enough of that. pay us what we deserve. give us good working conditions because we have spent the past decade doing those compromises. i think it is their turn now to do those compromises.— think it is their turn now to do those comromises. ., . �* ., ., . those compromises. houda benhamouda, thank ou those compromises. houda benhamouda, thank you very — those compromises. houda benhamouda, thank you very much _ those compromises. houda benhamouda, thank you very much indeed. _ those compromises. houda benhamouda, thank you very much indeed. no - thank you very much indeed. no wonder who is a secondary school teacher and also a member of the union involved in, one of the unions involved in today�*s strikes fairy in england and wales. more on that

after 3pm. let�*s get an update now and that extraordinary story in australia that you may be aware of. a tiny, and potentially deadly radioactive capsule, that was lost in the vast western australian outback more than two weeks ago, has been found. a huge search operation has been underway, despite it being about the size of a pea. the capsule had fallen off the back of a truck. 0ur correspondent, phil mercer, has that story. a very hazardous needle has been found in a big haystack in the australian outback. the radioactive capsule fell off a lorry somewhere on an 870—mile stretch of highway. it had been on its way from a mine near newman in the north—west, all the way down to perth on the coast. to put that into context, the search area was longer than the distance by road from john 0�*groats in caithness to land�*s end in cornwall.

it was two metres from the side of the road. the vehicle that identified it was travelling at 70 kilometres per hour when the specialist detection equipment picked up radiation emitted by the missing capsule. the search team then used portable detection equipment to locate the capsule. the device is no bigger than a pea. but there were warnings it could emit dangerously high doses of radiation. experts said prolonged exposure could cause cancer, but the danger appears to be over. it does not appear to have moved, it appears to have fallen off the truck and landed on the side of the road. it is remote enough that it�*s not near any community, so it is unlikely that anyone has been exposed to the capsule. government officials in western australia say the recovery of the capsule is an extraordinary result. phil mercer, bbc news, sydney.

let�*s talk about the northern ireland protocol, bear with me. officials in brussels have dismissed fresh claims of a compromise deal on the european court ofjustice�*s role in the northern ireland protocol. this is the mechanism that keeps northern ireland inside the eu�*s single market for goods. it means trade can flowed across the land border. but it also means new checks and controls on goods entering northern ireland from great britain. it follows a times newspaper report, which said negotiators had agreed 0na on a compromise over all of this. since they run that story, some have disputed all of this, quite hard to keep up, i do appreciate that, but let�*s try to extrapolate what we

can. let�*s talk now with anand menon, he�*s the director of the think tank — uk in a changing europe — which carries out research on the uk�*s relationship with the eu. here is one suggestion, other officials say it might not be happening, but what is your best guess, understanding, extrapolation of what you think is happening right now? ~ ., now? well, i am delighted i give the imression now? well, i am delighted i give the impression of _ now? well, i am delighted i give the impression of understanding - now? well, i am delighted i give the impression of understanding this. i now? well, i am delighted i give the impression of understanding this. atj impression of understanding this. at the moment, it is complicated, we have the times newspaper running with this story that a deal is about to be signed, we have the eu saying not. i think what is obviously the case is both sides are desperate to get a deal and there are signs both sides are making compromises, but as you started off saying, on that fundamental issue of the role of the european court ofjustice, the situation is the binary and from the eu's situation is the binary and from the eu�*s point of view, if eu law applies in northern ireland, the ultimate arbiter of that law is the

european court ofjustice, no ifs or buts, you can dress it up, you could say there are references to the british courts through the ecj. what we don�*t know is how far rishi sunak is willing to go. under some of his predecessors when david frost was negotiating, this was an absolute red line. what we don�*t know rishi sunak is whether he is willing to comprise on that to get a deal. and second and equally important, if he is willing to compromise, whether his party is willing to go along with him if he does. this his party is willing to go along with him if he does.— his party is willing to go along with him if he does. as ever, you are ahead — with him if he does. as ever, you are ahead of _ with him if he does. as ever, you are ahead of me _ with him if he does. as ever, you are ahead of me because - with him if he does. as ever, you are ahead of me because that i with him if he does. as ever, you l are ahead of me because that was exactly it. you have made the point that they are desperate to reach a deal, we know nothing is functioning at stormont, that is a key element of this. but rishi sunak and or others might think, this is how we have to tackle this if we want to get anything through, but as so often, with the issue of europe, there are other voices and pressures, particularly on the conservative backbenchers as well, there are two sets of pressures, you mentioned stormont and of course it is absolutely fundamental to get

stormont working is absolutely fundamental to get stormont workin- is absolutely fundamental to get stormont workin: . . ., , stormont working again, that the dup laid out whatever... _ stormont working again, that the dup laid out whatever... they _ stormont working again, that the dup laid out whatever... they have - stormont working again, that the dup laid out whatever... they have laid i laid out whatever... they have laid out some pretty firm red lines what they expect on the deal on the protocol, but also with rishi sunak�*s backbenchers, there are two groups and the european research group that everybody talks about, they have in the past stymied attempts to get theresa may�*s deal through parliament, saying this betrays brexit principles and then another group loosely coalesced around former prime minister boris johnson and there is a great deal of concern in number ten that they don�*t want to sign up to anything that allows him to cry betrayal because then you might find the makings of a quite sizeable number of backbenchers who are sort of turning against the prime minister brexit policy. turning against the prime minister brexit policy-— turning against the prime minister brexit oli . , ., ., ., , brexit policy. yes, and how... i was about to start— brexit policy. yes, and how... i was about to start my _ brexit policy. yes, and how... i was about to start my question - brexit policy. yes, and how... i was about to start my question with i brexit policy. yes, and how... i was about to start my question with the | about to start my question with the phrase, how long west it could be how long is a piece of string, but... abs. how long is a piece of string, but... �* , . ., , how long is a piece of string, but- - -— l- how long is a piece of string, but- - -— l ami but... a piece of string! i am t in: but... a piece of string! i am trying to _ but... a piece of string! i am trying to go _ but... a piece of string! i am trying to go back _ but... a piece of string! i am trying to go back to - but... a piece of string! i am trying to go back to your i but... a piece of string! i am i trying to go back to your opening point, which is that everybody would

like to finalise what has been a running sore in the whole brexit debate. how long would any prime minister give it? is it the fact that things are not functioning stormont that is really putting the pressure on? is that where it comes from or as the pressure more from the eu side? i from or as the pressure more from the eu side?— from or as the pressure more from the eu side? i think there are three sets of time — the eu side? i think there are three sets of time related _ the eu side? i think there are three sets of time related pressures. i the eu side? i think there are three sets of time related pressures. the j sets of time related pressures. the first, as you say, is stormont, but actually not having a government is in northern ireland is probably not sustainable and certainly not good for the territory, so you need to have a government back. secondly there is this deadline in april, the 25th anniversary of the good friday agreement, the uk and irish governments are very keen to see a state visit byjoe biden to mark their location, but that won�*t happen unless there is a deal. thirdly there is the eu side because at a certain point in time is member states are going to start saying, hang on, we signed this deal with the uk four years ago, it is still not being implemented, it is time to go back to court to sort this out and at that point you have the edge of the stand—off of the two sides,

which is no one favour on economically because ultimately it could lead to trade retaliation. thank you, very good to talk to you, professor anand menon from the uk in a changing europe. lawyers for the controversial influencer andrew tate are filing an appeal against his continued detention in romania. last month, mr tate and his brother tristan had their custody extended until the end of february, while specialist police investigate allegations of human trafficking and rape. both men deny the charges. a short while ago, the pair arrived for the appeal ruling. if their appeal is successful, they will be released from preventative custody. you know i am innocent. there�*s not muchjustice in romania. you knowl am innocent. there's not muchjustice in romania. much 'ustice in romania. shouting. that muchjustice in romania. shouting. that was them _ muchjustice in romania. shouting. that was them arriving _ muchjustice in romania. shouting. that was them arriving there. -

0ur correspondent lucy williamson is outside the court in bucharest. this is the second time that andrew tate and his brother have been in court to appeal their detention. we have just spoken to his legal team, which came out to talk to journalists after they filed the appeal, and his chief lawyer said he had new evidence that, as he put it, would undermine the prosecution arguments. as he put it, would undermine but of course the tate brothers have appealed their detention before unsuccessfully. and in fact, the judge who awarded the extension of their custody gave his reasoning last week in a pretty strongly worded statement. nevertheless, the tate brothers are continuing to claim their innocence, including when they arrived at court this morning. andrew! you know i'm innocent. hey! andrew! there is nojustice in romania. in court today was a new legal adviser from the united states with expertise in high profile criminal cases and international human rights. there is speculation that the legal

team here could try a different tack to get the brothers released from preventive custody while police continue their investigation. lucy williamson, bbc news, bucharest. people who are visually impaired are warning that new active travel designs in our cities, designed to get us walking and cycling, are making public spaces dangerous and stripping people of their ability to travel independently. edinburgh and glasgow city councils, who are spending millions on the new designs, have told bbc scotland that work will be done to improve some of the layouts amid intense criticism. 0ur reporter, ian hamilton, who is blind himself, brings this report. cycle bell rings. if you�*re visually impaired, this part of sauchiehall street can feel very unsafe. to get to a bus stop, you have to cross a cycle path. on some pavements, it�*s hard to distinguish between a path and a cycleway.

last year, i reported on the design here at sauchiehall street. there are a lot of concerns among the visually impaired population. today, the design remains the same. here at leith walk in edinburgh, like in glasgow, visually impaired people say that similar active travel design has made the street dangerous. i have a guide dog, coco, with me. and obviously, guide dogs are trained to walk kerb to kerb. because it was flush between the cycle path and the walkway, she couldn�*t find it. and as a result, we walked into an oncoming cyclist. under my feet, i cannot feel the difference between what is one and what�*s the other. it�*s very difficult to detect. it would be really easy to drift from the pavement onto a cycle path. edinburgh city council admit that mistakes have been made. going forward, we will make good these defects and there will be a demarcation between the footpaths and the cycleway.

we will make good these defects. if there�*s issues once the project is complete, we will address that. glasgow city council said that some changes will soon be made to the sauchiehall street design and it�*s currently engaging with members of the disabled community on proposals for other projects. they added that feedback cannot always be accommodated for various reasons. do you think you�*ve been listened to? not entirely. i think they did try, but the end result wasn�*t what was achieved. marie 0�*donnell ending that report from ian hamilton. much more coming up from 3pm. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good afternoon. not all of us has been as sunny as this so far this first day of february. in fact, a lot of cloud and damp weatherfor

february. in fact, a lot of cloud and damp weather for northern ireland, that rain pushing into western scotland, mainly dry, temperatures north to south between 8 and 11 degrees, sojust temperatures north to south between 8 and 11 degrees, so just above the average for the time of year. tonight this band of rain continues tojourney north and tonight this band of rain continues to journey north and east and behind the air will be turning increasingly mild, so by the end of the night 10 degrees in belfast, but through tomorrow we will see some outbreaks of rain continuing, especially across northern scotland, the rain really piling up over the hills in north—west scotland. further south often large amounts of cloud, a bit often large amounts of cloud, a bit of drizzle for western hills, but limited spells of sunshine and feeling mild for pretty much all of us, 11—13 . staying mild through friday and into saturday, sunday will turn a little bit colder, but brighter with lots of sunshine.

this is bbc news. the headlines: hundreds of thousands of workers — including school teachers — are going on strike for what will be the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales will be open but the national education union says 85% of schools will be affected, and calls for ministers to engage in talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is what they have done since lastjuly, the government should get round the table now seriously and start to negotiate. we are having those wide—ranging discussions. what is not realistic is for us to be looking at inflation or inflation—busting pay rises. train drivers have also joined industrial action and passengers are advised to check

before they travel. in prime minister�*s questions, sir keir starmer attacked rishi sunak on his response to bullying claims against dominic raab. the prime minister said he acted quickly to the allegations. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of former complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation, because i take action when these things happen. and in australia, the tiny radioactive capsule which fell off a truck on a desert highway — is found!

it�*s thought to be the biggest day of industrial action — according to unions — in more than a decade across the uk, with tens of thousands of people on strike, in disputes over pay, jobs, and conditions. teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university staff, bus drivers, all are on strike in different parts of the country, with teachers in the national education union, the largest group of workers on the picket lines. it�*s estimated up to 85% of schools are affected. 0ur education correspondent, elaine dunkley, has been speaking to some of those on strike in liverpool. cheering. from london to stoke, from cardiff to aberdeen, teachers are out on strike across britain. at chesterfield high in crosby,

the school gates are closed. more than 1,000 children are at home, whilst teachers are on picket lines in a dispute over pay. i�*ve been doing it 20 years now and, unfortunately, you watch a lot of really good young teachers come and go because they can get the same money elsewhere, without as much pressure. people are, you know, scrimping on shopping, struggling with electricity bills, etc. genuine worries that, you know, can't be avoided. you can'tjust stop paying your bills. if anybody knows a teacher, they'll know that it's not i just a nine—to—five job. every weekend, every i evening, early mornings, it's a huge workload, but we do it for the l love of the children. one, two, three, four, five, six. down the road, at our lady queen of peace school, three classes have been sent home. the head is determined that those not in school won�*t fall behind. we�*ll ensure that the children do catch up, and this is not easy, but those children will be given extra tuition. this is what we�*re fighting for, we want extra staff within the schools.

we�*re possibly looking at deficit budgets next year. that could result in losing many extra staff. if you've got a capital 0, - have you got it right or wrong? last year, most teachers were given a 5% pay rise, but many schools paid for it out of the existing school budget. the national education union wants a fully—funded, above—inflation pay rise. the thing that's driving our members is the state of crisis that's in many schools — that there are gcse chemistry classes, gcse maths classes being taught by people who don't have qualifications in chemistry and maths, that there are primary classrooms where we can't get permanent staff. and we think that's rooted, partly, in funding of schools and the funding of pay for people to work in those jobs. this is ravenscliffe high school, in halifax. the children here have a wide range of special educational needs. today, more than 100 pupils will have to stay at home because of the strike. it�*s really hard, but it�*s part

of a much bigger picture, and it is about the sustainability of education and special education in particular, going forward. recruitment is a major issue. staff are leaving. meanwhile, the school is having to take on more pupils. many special schools like ours are really struggling to recruit quality staff and retain them. the pay is not good. people here work here because they love the job, because they�*re really committed to the school, because they�*re passionate about children with special needs, not because of the salaries. three years ago, we had about 195 children on roll. we�*ve now got nearly 250, and that will go up again in september. this is a crisis, this is not sustainable, we cannot continue like this. no school can continue like this. the government says it�*s open for talks and has called the strikes "hugely disappointing". we've actually given teachers the highest pay rise in 30 years. that includes a 9% pay rise for newly qualified teachers and record investment in their training and development. i am clear that our children's education is precious and they deserve to be in school

today, being taught. the placards are about pay, but behind the signs are teachers protesting about numerous pressures in the classroom. if an agreement isn�*t reached, schools will have three more days of strike action over the coming months. i�*m ata i�*m at a rally here in liverpool in the city has been brought to a standstill by thousands of workers from different sectors. the council here have told us that 40% of schools are fully closed today. across england and wales, more than 20,000 schools have been impacted by the strike. there�*s no indication of when the government will get back round the table for discussions with the national education union, but both say they�*re very keen to talk. but with the neu pushing for a fully funded pay rise, there could be a long way to go in the discussions. since the strikes were announced, the neu has had 40,000 new members join and if this dispute isn�*t

resolved, there could be much more disruption this term and next for teachers, parents and of course pupils. in wales, the government there says it will continue to hold meetings with the unions to try and settle the dispute. 0ur correspondent tomos morgan has the latest from cardiff. there�*s about 1,500 schools in wales. we�*ve calculated that nearly a third of those are closed today. this one behind me is closed to pupils, but there are teachers not on strike who�*ve gone in today. so the dispute and the pressures and impact on schools is varied across the country. most are affected in some way, but there�*s a real postcode lottery, if you like. for example, in the local authority of blaenau gwent in east wales, all schools are shut there bar one. but if you go to west wales to ceredigion, they�*re all open over there with only eight schools

with a couple of classrooms and a couple of pupils having to spend time off. so it�*s a really varied picture. the education minister here has offered one—off pay deal to the unions. that has been flatly rejected. they want a consolidated pay rise but at the moment, it is impossible to see how that is going to happen because the welsh government say they haven�*t got the money to fund that fully. they need more money from westminster to do so and they�*re not prepared to raise the limited tax powers they have to fund any pay rises at the moment. it looks like there will be more strikes on the way, because i can�*t see how this is going to be resolved any time soon. teachers in scotland have already been on strike in recent weeks. 0ur correspondent ben philip is in aberdeen for us and has the latest on any sign of a possible breakthrough there... this is day 13 of 16 in the latest strike action by teachers in scotland. members of the eis teaching union have been striking in two different parts of scotland per day since mid—january. today it�*s the turn of teachers here in aberdeen and also in clackmannanshire.

teachers this morning have been taking to picket lines and it�*s resulted in dozens of schools being closed across the city. it all centres on this pay dispute. teachers in scotland would like a 10% pay uplift, something the scottish government and council bosses have described as unaffordable. the current offer that is on the table is typically worth around 5%, slightly more for lower earners. i think there is a general frustration growing among teachers that a new and improved pay deal hasn�*t been received. there�*s a rally ongoing at the moment in the beach ballroom here in aberdeen behind me. and there�*s really no end in sight to this dispute. further strike dates are planned in february, march and april. meanwhile, the scottish education secretary, shirley—anne somerville, says she is committed to finding a resolution to this dispute, but has warned that money will have to come from elsewhere in education if it goes towards teacher pay.

more now on the strikes — let�*s go now to our employment correspondent zoe conway, has been with protestors outside the cabinet office in central london. from the images we saw, it looked like a substantial turnout. tell us what people are saying about the numbers, the turnout and the mood of all this? ~ ., , , all this? well, the unions say they think there — all this? well, the unions say they think there are _ all this? well, the unions say they think there are about _ all this? well, the unions say they think there are about 30,000 i all this? well, the unions say they i think there are about 30,000 people at that rally. it was certainly incredibly noisy, and it was happening right on the prime minister�*s doorstepped outside the gates of downing street. they were in buoyant mood. you had several trade union leaders at the rally, the leader of the national education union, representing teachers, the head of the civil service union, the head of the civil service union, the head of the civil service union, the head of the tuc, which represents all of the trade unions. and they were all delivering the same message

to the prime minister to listen, to come to the negotiating table and to meet their demand for a pay rise in line with inflation, which is currently at 10.5%. it�*s a lot quieter now. it is a cleaning up exercise here on whitehall. the last of the placards are behind me. but whilst they were in a buoyant mood, there didn�*t seem to be a lot of optimism about whether the government was going to meet them on this idea of raising pay for this financial year. this idea of raising pay for this financialyear. it this idea of raising pay for this financial year. it is still a question mark about whether the government will move on pay for the next financial year, which starts in april. but in terms of this year, there doesn�*t seem to be a lot of optimism that the government will meet them even halfway when it comes to raising public sector pay. yes.

to raising public sector pay. yes, and the tone _ to raising public sector pay. yes, and the tone from _ to raising public sector pay. yes, and the tone from the _ to raising public sector pay. yes, and the tone from the government seems to be, we can�*t give inflation busting pay rises or even big pay rises, because that itself would be inflationary. we are trying to tackle inflation. if that continues to be the government line, would the people who were with you today plan to continue striking, is that there mood? ~ ., , ., to continue striking, is that there mood? ~ . , ., ., to continue striking, is that there mood? . . , . ., ., to continue striking, is that there mood? . , ., ., ., , mood? what is hard to ignore is the relentlessness _ mood? what is hard to ignore is the relentlessness of _ mood? what is hard to ignore is the relentlessness of this _ mood? what is hard to ignore is the relentlessness of this industrial i relentlessness of this industrial action. today was a big day, half a million workers. to put that into context, the last really big strike was just over ten years ago, when up to 2 million workers walked out over public sector pensions. so it wasn�*t as big as that strike ten years ago. but we are facing a relentless wave of action. next week, it will be the turn of health workers. 0n of action. next week, it will be the turn of health workers. on monday, we have sunken eyes action between ambulance workers and nurses. we have the fire brigades union who

could be striking injust have the fire brigades union who could be striking in just over three weeks�* time. always interesting was that the head of the pcs union mark serwotka today was promising another day like today, more coordinated action and inviting even more unions to take part. zoe action and inviting even more unions to take part-— to take part. zoe conway, our employment _ to take part. zoe conway, our employment correspondent, l to take part. zoe conway, our| employment correspondent, in whitehall in central london. let�*s talk now with pa media�*s industrial correspondent alan jones, to tell us more about these disputes. you and i have spoken many times about the rail strikes. there is a train driver struck today, but there is so much more than that. your thoughts when you see those images of thousands of people streaming through central london and their resolve. where is this headed? this resolve. where is this headed? is though you were saying, there are

more and more work is going on strike —— as zoe was saying. and there is less chance of these disputes being result. it is incredible. we are nowhere near the winter of discontent in 1978—79, but we are getting pretty close to that territory, just because of the numbers of workers going on strike and the length of these disputes. the rail dispute has been going on for months. the train driver strike todayis for months. the train driver strike today is barely getting a mention because of teachers, quite rightly, and the disruption that is causing. and as zoe were saying, next monday will be the biggest ever strike in the nhs. every day next week a pub on wednesday, there is going to be a strike. midwives are going on strike, physiotherapists. you have head teachers talking about the system has been underfunded for over a decade. it is quite astonishing. and there are few or no negotiations being held and i don�*t see how the

disputes are going to be resolved. i disputes are going to be resolved. i was chatting in the last hour to david laws, no longer a politician, but he was once a liberal democrat. he was talking specifically about the teacher strikes because education is his speciality. but more broadly, he said ultimately, there is going to have to be, in his opinion, compromise on both sides. that is the only way any resolution is going to be found. is that a fair comment? lip is going to be found. is that a fair comment?— is going to be found. is that a fair comment? , ., ., ~ , , , comment? up to a point. any dispute is resolved when _ comment? up to a point. any dispute is resolved when the _ comment? up to a point. any dispute is resolved when the parties - comment? up to a point. any dispute is resolved when the parties sit i is resolved when the parties sit down and negotiate. sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. hours, sometimes for days, sometimes forweeks. but hours, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. but that is the big thing thatis for weeks. but that is the big thing that is missing in these public—sector strikes. there is little or no negotiation going on. and as long as that remains, as long as the prime minister keeps saying they can�*t afford to give any more money to nurses, teachers, doctors, these disputes are going to carry

on. they have to sit down and do some negotiating. the unions are saying they are not even in a position to lower their demands, because there are no proper talks going on. there have been talks over the last few weeks, but they have almost gone backwards. the unions are exasperated about how little discussion there is about the issue at the core of all these things, strikes. and as you have heard, teachers and nurses are leaving other people who are left are under incredible doing unpaid overtime, teachers teaching subjects they are not qualified for. it is a proper crisis. , , , , not qualified for. it is a proper crisis. , , , ., crisis. does it surprise you that there aren't — crisis. does it surprise you that there aren't the _ crisis. does it surprise you that there aren't the conversationsl crisis. does it surprise you that i there aren't the conversations going there aren�*t the conversations going on, with your knowledge of this sector of industrial relations? is it surprising that it is at that picture? it surprising that it is at that icture? , ., , picture? it is. i thought they were auoin to picture? it is. i thought they were going to be _ picture? it is. i thought they were going to be a _

picture? it is. i thought they were going to be a couple _ picture? it is. i thought they were going to be a couple of _ picture? it is. i thought they were going to be a couple of turning i going to be a couple of turning points last year. the royal college of nursing said they were going to ballot for strikes, and i remember thinking that will have to be negotiations and it will have to be resolved. it wasn�*t. same again when the nurses went on strike. again, i thought there was no way they would let the nurses go on strike. they went on strike and there was no meeting. i think it is astonishing that there are no proper negotiations being held. if we carry on like this, we could still be talking about strikes during the next general election. in fact, some leaders i speak to say the only way these disputes will be resolved will probably be with a general election and different government. goodness. we will talk again, _ and different government. goodness. we will talk again, of— and different government. goodness. we will talk again, of course. - and different government. goodness. we will talk again, of course. that i we will talk again, of course. that is alanjones, the industrial correspondent for pa media. let�*s talk about those rail strikes. rail passengers have been told

to check before they travel today because of strike action. train drivers in the aslef and rmt unions, are also due to stage another walkout on friday. 0ur transport correspondent, katy austin, has more details. picket lines and empty stations have become a familiar sight. today and friday, some operators are running no trains at all. while many commuters can work from home, some passengers — like these at london�*s euston station — were frustrated. i live in manchester, so i had to stay over last night, so i can be here today. i missed my little boy's birthday the other week because i couldn't get a train. yeah, i've had enough of it. this time, it�*s more than 12,000 train drivers walking out. rail workers on picket lines say they can�*t do interviews because it could put theirjobs at risk, but train drivers i�*ve spoken to say this dispute is notjust about pay for them, it�*s also about protecting working conditions. the union aslef, which represents most drivers, already rejected an initial offer involving a 4% pay

rise two years in a row, saying that too many conditions were attached. as we go on, inflation gets higher and higher and higher, and the ability then to do a deal with high inflation and high cost of living, when everybody wants to take everything you�*ve got and give you nothing for it is a very difficult place to be in. ultimately, the government holds the purse strings and has to approve any offer that�*s made. a spokesperson said ministers continued to facilitate reasonable conversations between unions and employers. the group representing train companies in the negotiations insisted they and the union needed to keep trying to find common ground. we want to emphasise the need for us to give our staff a pay increase, but we cannot afford that without having the levels of reform that can try and stop us having to take additionalfunding from the taxpayer, particularly in this challenging time. the industry hopes to arrange fresh talks next week. without a breakthrough,

strikes seem likely and that�*s something that businesses like this coffee shop near ashford station in kent are dreading. i have sympathy for them, i know that they�*re out there for a reason, but it�*s also affecting our business. there�*s only so long that you can carry on in that situation, with it hurting so much. separately, the rmt, which represents other rail workers, is getting feedback from its members on the offers it has received so far before its committee decides what to do next. katy austin, bbc news. for more on the government�*s position, our politcal correspondent jonathan blake sent this update from westminster. despite the continued industrial action and the promised strikes in the coming days and weeks, the government is standing firm. there is no sign of a shift at the moment in the overall position that rishi sunak and his government

has, and that is to pay public sector workers in line with or even over and above the current rate of inflation would make the problem worse and would cause prices to rise ever higher. that is not a universally held view. it�*s something which many people argue is not necessarily the case and that the government could, if it chose to, afford to pay nurses, train drivers, teachers and other public sector workers more than they are currently getting and more than the independent pay review body has recommended and the government has agreed to. sector by sector, there are differing signs of progress. if you look at the railways, they look to be relatively close to some kind of compromise on either side which could lead to a solution. in terms of the school strikes which are getting attention today in england and wales, the education secretary gillian keegan

this morning was saying she has had meetings with the union leaders earlier this week in which they discussed a range of issues. the government is happy to talk about those and concede on them, whether that is working conditions, or recruitment and retention, but there is the sticking point of pay. and it doesn�*t seem at the moment that the government is willing to budge on that, and the prime minister has said his number one priority is reducing inflation, even if that means dealing with the ongoing disruption that strike action is causing. the prime minister has defended his handling of the bullying allegations against the deputy prime minister dominic raab. rishi sunak�*s comments at prime minister�*s questions come as one union leader called on the formerjustice secretary to step aside while an inquiry is carried out. mr raab denies the allegations. here�*s our political correspondent, ione wells. let�*s make him our next prime minister. please welcome rishi sunak! cheering and applause.

his deputy, his close ally, and his latest political headache. questions mounting for dominic raab over bullying allegations... will you sack dominic raab, prime minister? ..leading to questions for the prime minister over whether to sack him. according to recent reports, some of the complainants were physically sick. 0ne says they were left suicidal. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully, simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of formal complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation, because i take action when these things happen. the prime minister insists it is right that due process is followed by letting this lawyer finish his investigation into dominic raab. the head of the union representing civil servants disagrees. if that was any other employee, if that was a permanent secretary in the civil service,

they would in all likelihood be suspended from theirjob. the investigation into dominic raab is looking at eight complaints from three government departments — from when he wasjustice secretary, brexit secretary, and foreign secretary. at least three of the most senior civil servants who ran departments with him have given evidence to the inquiry as witnesses. this investigation is not set to conclude for a couple of weeks. what it�*s trying to establish is, did dominic raab bully staff or not? was he, as some former colleagues have told us, very hard onjunior staff and totally unsuitable for high office, or was he — as other people who have worked with him have told us — demanding and abrasive, but not necessarily a bully? mr raab has said he�*s confident he has always behaved professionally, denies wrongdoing, and has no apologies for having high standards. but whether he has met the standards expected of him is now under scrutiny. ione wells, bbc news, westminster.

a labourmp has a labour mp has apologised for remarks she made about these or any government during premises questions. she referred to israel as a fascist state were asking about israel�*s treatment of palestinian civilians. she later apologised unreservedly for what she called the intemperate language she had used when questioning rishi sunak. the labour leader sir keir starmer has condemned the remarks. house prices in the uk fell injanuary for the fifth month in a row, according to the nationwide building society. last month, the average property price was 258,000, down 0.6% on december. and the affordability of mortgages remains challenging because of higher interest rates and the cost of living crisis. let�*s

discuss. those figures, the fifth consecutive fall, i suppose that is no surprise to you? it fall, i suppose that is no surprise to ou? , ., . ., fall, i suppose that is no surprise toou? . .,, to you? it is not. we have seen considerable _ to you? it is not. we have seen considerable increases - to you? it is not. we have seen considerable increases in i to you? it is not. we have seen | considerable increases in value, to you? it is not. we have seen i considerable increases in value, so the levels we are seeing now do indicate a softening of the market, but not to levels that are of drastic concern.— but not to levels that are of drastic concern. people watching this will think, — drastic concern. people watching this will think, why _ drastic concern. people watching this will think, why do _ drastic concern. people watching this will think, why do we - drastic concern. people watching this will think, why do we worry l this will think, why do we worry about this? why should we worry? it might be an opportunity for first—time buyers to have a slightly better chance of getting on the property ladder, why would it matter? ~ , ,., , property ladder, why would it matter? ~ , . , �* matter? absolutely. we mustn't for: et matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that _ matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that a _ matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that a lot _ matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that a lot of _ matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that a lot of the _ matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that a lot of the nation's i forget that a lot of the nation�*s wealth is tied up in their home. we are a homeownership country, so people do study that carefully and it affects everyday life and it

affects higher interest rates and the cost of living. so people are being a bit more cautious about what they are buying. we haven�*t got the rampant demand. but yes, by and large, it does also create a bit of extra manoeuvrability for those entering the marketplace. lliiul’itli extra manoeuvrability for those entering the marketplace. with the caveat on top _ entering the marketplace. with the caveat on top of — entering the marketplace. with the caveat on top of that _ entering the marketplace. with the caveat on top of that being - entering the marketplace. with the caveat on top of that being the i caveat on top of that being the challenge that simply affording a mortgage right now, given interest rates and given all the other bills in life have gone up so sharply in the last year, that is a problem. is that going to continue to be a drag on the market, is there less demand because of that? we on the market, is there less demand because of that?— because of that? we have certainly seen some — because of that? we have certainly seen some challenges. _ because of that? we have certainly seen some challenges. we - because of that? we have certainly seen some challenges. we have i because of that? we have certainly seen some challenges. we have to j seen some challenges. we have to bearin seen some challenges. we have to bear in mind that the demand for housing is still greater than the supply that is available. that is what continues to fuel things. yes, you are right, the cost of people�*s mortgage payments is a lot higher than people have been used to and we are seeing a lot of people on

long—term 2% and 3% fixed rate mortgage is coming to an end and seeing an increase in their monthly mortgage payments on top of their everyday expenses and cost of living. so there are challenges, but the banks have been stress testing people for many years now since the last financial crash. so while it is uncomfortable, we are not seen a drastic increases in arrears. we are not seeing repossession. we are seeing a levelling out of the market and we are seeing a return to more normal levels of transactions. that is interesting. _ normal levels of transactions. that is interesting, so _ normal levels of transactions. that is interesting, so you _ normal levels of transactions. that is interesting, so you are not seeing some of the things we might assume will be happening? because the percentage increase in the last year has been so stark that, very regrettably, no one wants to say it, but there could be people who are coming to the end of their fixed—rate period and are seeing such a dramatic leap in their monthly repayments that that gives them really tough decisions. that is

a fair thing to _ them really tough decisions. that is a fair thing to say. _ them really tough decisions. that is a fair thing to say. let _ them really tough decisions. that is a fair thing to say. let me _ them really tough decisions. that is a fair thing to say. let me caveat, l a fair thing to say. let me caveat, it is because we have been used to historically low interest rates over the last few years. we are still below the historic average, and mortgages do stress test for that. the problem is that we all have a level of disposable income and as we have had more disposable income than we would normally have had, we have got used to that and it has put people in a position where they are now starting to reflect on their monthly outgoings, like every single one of us are. on top of that, we are seeing higherfuel one of us are. on top of that, we are seeing higher fuel prices, one of us are. on top of that, we are seeing higherfuel prices, both in terms of domestic vehicles but also in terms of heating, lighting and expenses, and you can only spend that money once. so it is making people reflect. but i think the demand is still there. we are seeing prices rise by over 20% over the pandemic over a two—year period. so whilst we are levelling out, i would

rather we had levelled out and continued at unsustainable levels of growth, because that would have then have caused a much more severe correction. have caused a much more severe correction-— have caused a much more severe correction. . ., ., ~ correction. nathan emerson, thank ou. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good afternoon. not all of us have been as sunny as this so far this first day of february. in fact, we�*ve had a lot of cloudy and damp weather for northern ireland, that rain pushing in across north—west england into western scotland. mainly dry elsewhere, temperatures just above average for the time of year. tonight, this band of rain continues to journey northwards and eastwards. and behind it, the air will turn increasingly mild. but through tomorrow, we will see some outbreaks of rain continuing, especially across the northern half of scotland, the rain really piling up over the hills in the north west of scotland. further south, often quite large amounts of cloud. a bit of drizzle for western hills,

but some limited spells of sunshine and feeling mild for pretty much all of us. staying mild through friday and into saturday. sunday will turn a little bit colder, but brighter, with lots of sunshine. hello, this is bbc news with me, jane hill. the headlines: hundreds of thousands of workers — including school teachers — are on strike for what is the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales are open, but the national education union says 85% of schools will be affected, and calls for ministers to engage in talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is what they have done since lastjuly, the government should get round the table now,

seriously, and started to negotiate. we are having those wide—ranging discussions. what is not realistic is for— discussions. what is not realistic is for us — discussions. what is not realistic is for us to— discussions. what is not realistic is for us to be looking at inflation or inflation — is for us to be looking at inflation or inflation busting pay rises. train drivers also joined industrial action and passengers are advised to check timetables before they travel. in prime minister�*s questions, sir keir starmer attacked rishi sunak on his response to bullying claims against dominic raab. the prime minister said he acted quickly to the allegations. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully, simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? lltiul’heh because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware _ weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of _ weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of formal _ weak to do anything about it? when i l was made aware of formal complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation because i to conduct an investigation because i take _ to conduct an investigation because i take action when these things happen —

those are some of this afternoon�*s main stories, much more coming up, but right now it is sports news time, let�*s return to holly hamilton. hello, jane. good afternoon. a year to the day since announcing his retirement for the first time, legendary quarterback tom brady says this time it is for good. last time he said he was retiring, he reversed his decision just six weeks later. but today he says he is finishing his nfl career for good this time and today he posted on social media. iam retiring. for good. i know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when i woke up this morning i figured just press record and let you guys know first, so i won�*t be long—winded. you only get one super emotional retirement essay and i used mine up last year, so... really, thank you guys so much, to every single one of you for supporting me. my family, my friends, my team—mates. ..

..my competitors... i could go on forever, there are too many. thank you, guys, for allowing me to live my absolute dream. i wouldn�*t change anything. love you all. co— hosts co—hosts australia and new zealand have asked fifa to urgently clarify reports that saudi arabia�*s tourism authorities to be named as an official sponsor of the women�*s world cup. the deal with visit to saudl world cup. the deal with visit to saudi, which has not yet been formally announced, has already been criticised by human rights groups. football australia and new zealand football australia and new zealand football said they were not consulted and was shocked and disappointed. tottenham says manager antonio conte will return, following a period of recuperation after his surgery today. he was diagnosed with an inflammation of the gall bladder, after becoming "unwell with severe abdominal pain." spurs�* next game is at home to second placed manchester city in the premier

league on sunday. manchester united already have one foot in the league cup final. ahead of their second leg in nottingham forest tonight. assuming they can avoid surrendering, they have a 3—0 advantage gained from the first leg in nottingham, erect and hug and his team will gain the final and reach theirfirst piece of team will gain the final and reach their first piece of silverware since 2017. and the prospect of a domestic cup double alive as well. we are playing the semifinal and we have... we have perfect chance to go to wembley, to bring a trophy in. and therefore we have to focus and therefore we have to gather the energy, therefore we have to gather the good game plan for tomorrow, i think it is all about that and we

have to do it with the players who are available. it have to do it with the players who are available.— are available. it was obviously a disappointment, _ are available. it was obviously a disappointment, the _ are available. it was obviously a disappointment, the first i are available. it was obviously a disappointment, the first leg i are available. it was obviously a l disappointment, the first leg and result— disappointment, the first leg and result and there is no doubt about that and _ result and there is no doubt about that and i— result and there is no doubt about that and i think we are all frustrated. in the manner and the timing _ frustrated. in the manner and the timing of— frustrated. in the manner and the timing of the goals, but it is a situation _ timing of the goals, but it is a situation that we found ourselves in and we _ situation that we found ourselves in and we have to deal with it going into the — and we have to deal with it going into the second leg and in terms of qualifying — into the second leg and in terms of qualifying for the final, it is obviously... an incredibly tough task _ obviously... an incredibly tough task it — obviously... an incredibly tough task. it would have been anyway, to beat manchester united over two legs, _ beat manchester united over two legs, but — beat manchester united over two legs, but we have made it even harden — legs, but we have made it even harder. . w' legs, but we have made it even harder. . a ., legs, but we have made it even harder. . w ., ., harder. under cricket and england have recovered _ harder. under cricket and england have recovered from _ harder. under cricket and england have recovered from a _ harder. under cricket and england have recovered from a tough i harder. under cricket and england have recovered from a tough start harder. under cricket and england i have recovered from a tough start to set south africa a target of 310 to win the third and final one—day international in kimberley. after slumping to 14—3, england were indebted to do a record—breaking partnership between captain ross butler and dawood milan afterjust ten balls. and butler went on to

score 131. play hasjust ten balls. and butler went on to score 131. play has just resumed in kimberley, south africa are 15 without loss in the third of their chase. follow that on the website if you like, but that is all yours but for now, see you in the next hour. thank you very much, holly, see you later on. let's turn to the united states. joe biden�*s lawyer says the fbi is searching the us president's home in delaware as part of an investigation into classified documents. mr biden�*s attorney says the search was "planned". the fbi has not yet commented on the search. gary o'donoghue is our north america correspondent. this is the second time in two weeks the fbi has gone intojoe biden�*s home and searched for classified documents. you will remember in above documents were already found at a think tank he was part of

washington and also at his wilmington home, which is the capital of delaware, and then in this house on the beach, they are searching that as well. the key thing here is that his lawyers first searched both his own private homes, came up with some documents. the fbi went back and found some more, so they are clearly not satisfied that they are clearly not satisfied that the lawyers looked hard enough and thatis the lawyers looked hard enough and that is why this second search is taking place, but still being done with the cooperation of the president. quite a spectacle, a sitting president having the fbi in their homes looking through their stuff. , ., , , , ., stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story. — stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story. am _ stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story. am i — stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story, am i right _ stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story, am i right in _ stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story, am i right in saying - this story, am i right in saying that the president or his team have always tried to explain why the documents are there, what sort of thing is they are? is that the situation we are in? because when you talk about searching for documents, of course it takes you back to the searching of donald trump's home in florida. yes. back to the searching of donald trump's home in florida. yes, i mean, inadvertent _ trump's home in florida. yes, i mean, inadvertent is _ trump's home in florida. yes, i mean, inadvertent is the -

trump's home in florida. yes, i mean, inadvertent is the word | trump's home in florida. yes, i- mean, inadvertent is the word they have been using, but they were left behind by mistake, it is the same thing that mike pence said, the former republican vice president, about the documents that were found at his home. these cases, both mike pence and biden, a slightly different to that of donald trump, of course, whose resisted handing back documents for months and months. the fbi subpoenaed him, then they invoked a search warrant of his home and found more top—secret documents and are now investigating potential charges under the espionage act and obstruction, as well as the general laws that govern classified documents, so the cases are a bit different. nevertheless, joe biden is under investigation by special counsel. that is a serious business for anyone and the fact that they are still going through his home means they don't really trust the fact that the lawyers have had a look. they want to make sure for themselves there is nothing else there. and this be something that will be a cloud over the president's head for the next few months, at

least. �* , ., ., least. all right. gary, for now, thank you _ least. all right. gary, for now, thank you very _ least. all right. gary, for now, thank you very much. - least. all right. gary, for now, thank you very much. gary - least. all right. gary, for now, - thank you very much. gary o'donoghue there, a washington correspondent. two men, mohamed el—abboud and kusai al—jundi, have been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years, for killing a 71—year—old woman, in a plot to steal her life savings and take over her rental properties. louise kam disappeared injuly 2021. her body was eventually found dumped in a rubbish bin the following month, and she'd been strangled. helena wilkinson, has more from the old bailey. this is 71—year—old businesswoman louise kam, who was callously murdered for her money. the two men, who she met through a mutualfriend, targeted louise for her property in a sophisticated fraud. in this video, filmed at one of the properties she rented, el—abboud is seen boasting to his friends about his new lifestyle. he had moved in before the murder and treated it as his own home.

his friend, al—jundi, masterminded the deception and spent months trying to deceive louise kam into giving him control of her finances. today they were sentenced in proceedings that were televised. after you had killed louise, you took her mobile phone and bank cards. messages were sent from her phone purporting to be from her to her family and to her close friends. in those messages, you sought to deceive those who loved and cared for louise as to her true whereabouts and what it was that you had done to her. after the murder, mohamed el—abboud posted this video on social media apparently celebrating. the pair then disposed of louise kam's body in this wheelie bin, where she was later discovered by police. in a victim personal statement read to court, louise kam's son, gregory, said that he had been left feeling numb and grief—stricken. the pair will spend at least 35

years in prison for the murder of a pensioner, committed out of greed. helen wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. helena wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. police say a four—year—old girl was killed by a dog. no arrests have been made and the dog was killed. outside the house on the netherfield estate, tributes for a four—year—old little girl continue to be placed. the police presence will remain here

for some time while investigations continue into exactly what happened and why a small child lost her life. we know that officers were called to this propertyjust after five o'clock yesterday evening. people living nearby told us of a big emergency response, including armed police. sadly, a short time later it was confirmed a little girl had died. it's believed the incident happened in the back garden and no one else was injured. for people who knew the family, there is disbelief and sadness. it is so hard to hear this. it is somebody i really know, i see her every day, going to school and coming back, so it is so hard. and i wish her mum the best. i know that god will get her through because it is not easy. today, the local church just across the road will be open for local people who may wish to reflect. our heart goes out to the parents, our heart goes out to the community, but also our heart goes out to those policemen and first responders, who really had to encounter something that no one wants to encounter. a vigil will be held later this evening. the family are being supported by specialist officers and police have asked people not to speculate about what happened here on social media. jo black, bbc news, in milton keynes.

just to tell you, we are in fact expecting an update from the police about that case in milton keynes in the next half an hour or so, perhaps a roundabout for pm also, we might hear more from the police, so as soon as we get an update following the death of that little girl, we will bring you back from milton keynes. large crowds are expected in the american city of memphis, for the funeral of the black man tyre nichols. five black police officers have been charged, in connection with the 29—year—old's death. the vice president kamala harris, and the family of george floyd, who was killed by a police officer in minneapolis in 2020, will attend the service. our north america editor, sarah smith, has more from memphis. large crowds are expected to brave freezing temperatures in memphis to attend the funeral of 29—year—old tyre nichols. a eulogy will be delivered by the veteran civil rights campaigner the reverend al sharpton. what happened to tyre

is a disgrace to this country. there's no other way to describe what has happened in this situation. they said, "nojustice..." no peace! the service will also feature demands for a significant police reform — to try to avoid similar tragedies happening in future. the first black us vice president, kamala harris, will be attending, a sign ofjust how big an impact this incident has had across america. the killing of tyre nichols has shocked the nation, but people in memphis say it's not surprising. they have frequently witnessed violent attacks, often against black people, in their city. the five police officers seen brutally attacking tyre nichols in the videos released by the memphis police department are also black. campaigners say that shows how deeply racism is embedded in police culture, when even black policemen are more likely to assault black victims and think they can get away with it. those officers have already been sacked and charged with second—degree murder.

since the videos were made public, one other white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been suspended, as have two emergency medical staff who appeared to be standing around, not offering assistance as mr nichols was lying injured in the road. tyre nichols�* parents say they will not feeljustice has been done until everyone involved in his death has been charged and is facing a criminal trial. they want new laws that would compel the police to intervene if a suspect is being assaulted by fellow officers and to offer assistance to anyone who's been injured as a result. sarah smith, bbc news, memphis. lawyers for the controversial influencer andrew tate are filing an appeal against his continued detention in romania. last month, mr tate and his brother, tristan, had their custody extended until the end of february, while specialist police investigate allegations of human trafficking and rape. both men deny the charges.

if their appeal is successful, they will be released from preventative custody. our correspondent lucy williamson is outside the court in bucharest. this is the second time that andrew tate and his brother have been in court to appeal their detention. we have just spoken to his legal team, which came out to talk to journalists after they filed the appeal, and his chief lawyer said he had new evidence that, as he put it, would undermine the prosecution arguments. but of course the tate brothers have appealed their detention before unsuccessfully. and in fact, the judge who awarded the extension of their custody gave his reasoning last week in a pretty strongly worded statement. nevertheless, the tate brothers are continuing to claim their innocence, including when they arrived at court this morning. andrew! you know i'm innocent. hey! andrew! there is nojustice in romania. in court today was a new legal adviser from the united states with expertise in high profile

criminal cases and international human rights. there is speculation that the legal team here could try a different tack to get the brothers released from preventive custody while police continue their investigation. lucy williamson, bbc news, bucharest. officials in brussels have dismissed suggestions that there could be a compromise deal over the european court ofjustice's role in the northern ireland protocol. the mechanism keeps northern ireland inside the eu's single market for goods, meaning trade can flow across the land border. but it also means new checks and controls on goods entering northern ireland from great britain. the times newspaper claimed that negotiators had reached a compromise, but sources close to the talks have disputed that. quite hard to keep up, but i have been discussing it all with a

professor, who is director of the think tank uk in a changing europe, which carries out research into the uk's relationship with the eu. we have the uk's relationship with the eu. , have the times newspaper running with the story that a deal is about to be sound, we have the eu saying not, i think what is obviously the case is that both sides are desperate to get a deal and there are signs both sides are making compromises, but as you start off saying, on that fundamental issue of the role of the european court of justice, the situation is rather binary and from the eu's point of view, if the eu law in northern ireland, the ultimate arbiter of thatis ireland, the ultimate arbiter of that is the european court of justice, no its common buts. you can dress it up, you can say the british coach to the ecj, but what we don't know is how far rishi sunak is willing to go. under some of his predecessors when david frost was negotiating, this was an absolute red line, but we don't know for rishi sunak is whether he is willing to compromise on that a pitch to get a deal and of course second and

equally important if he is willing to compromise, if he is willing and his party is willing to go along with him if he does.— his party is willing to go along with him if he does. your enemy because that _ with him if he does. your enemy because that was _ with him if he does. your enemy because that was exactly - with him if he does. your enemy because that was exactly it, - with him if he does. your enemy because that was exactly it, you | because that was exactly it, you have made the point that they are desperate to reach a deal, we know nothing is functioning at that is a key element of this, but rishi sunak and or others might think this is how we have to tackle this if we want to get everything through, but as so often with the issue in europe, there are voices and pressures, particularly on the conservative backbenches. well, there are two — conservative backbenches. well, there are two pressures, - conservative backbenches. well, there are two pressures, you - conservative backbenches. -ii there are two pressures, you mention stormont and of course it is absolutely fundamental we got stormont working again, that gdp accepts whatever they come back with them they have laid out some pretty firm red lines about what they expect in any deal on the protocol, but then as you rightly say rishi sunak�*s own backbenchers and there are two groups there, the european research group that everyone talks about, they have in the past stymied theresa may 's attempt to get deals to parliament, saying this betrays

brexit principles, and then another group loosely coalesced around former prime minister borisjohnson and i think there is a degree of concern in number ten that they don't want to sign up to something that allows him to cry betrayal because actually then you might find the makings of quite a sizeable number backbenchers who are turning against the prime minister said policy. against the prime minister said oli . ., , against the prime minister said oli . ., ~ . against the prime minister said oli. ., �* . ~ .. pope francis has celebrated mass in kinshasa — the capital of the democratic republic of congo — on the first leg of his trip to africa. the country is the continent's most catholic nation — and some estimates put the number of people who gathered for the mass at more than 1 million. some people camped out overnight to get a good vantage point to see the pontiff. those who couldn't get to the service at kinshasa airport caught a glimpse of francis on his journey to the venue in the 'pope—mobile'. our religion editor aleem maqbool is in kinshasa — and he sent us this update earlier.

well, it is a huge crowd that has turned out here for this papal mass at kinshasa airport. you see the schoolgirls in a row here? upbeat music plays. they've been dancing for maybe the last couple of hours to welcome the pope and then throughout this mass. let me give you a sense of the sheer numbers. if you take a look back there, it is estimated that about 1.5 million people have come out here in what is the sixth most populous catholic nation in the world, the sixth highest number of catholics of any nation in the world. the pope has said that the democratic republic of congo and africa has a very special place in his heart and even though he has got mobility problems, that led to him cancelling this visit a year ago, it's clear that it was high on his priority list to come back. he has already given one speech since he has been here, where he condemned the outside world for the plunder of this nation over centuries.

he has also condemned the violence that continues here that has led to nearly 7 million people being killed in conflict over resources over just the last 30 years. our religion editor there. back here... owners of four flats opposite the viewing gallery at london's tate modern art gallery have won a legal case in court, overlevels of intrusion that they say prevent them over levels of intrusion that they say prevent them from enjoying their homes. the supreme court determined that the flat owners faced a "contstant visual intrusion" that impact their right to privacy. james souter is a real estates dispute partnerfrom international law firm charles russell speechlys. i think there is significant surprise in the legal community. probably the large body of the profession expected the decisions of the high court and the court of appeal to be upheld this morning by the supreme court. so it came as a surprise that,

having lost in the high court, having lost in the court of appeal, that the neighbouring flat owners succeeded in the supreme court. it was a split decision of the court. it was 3—2, which shows you how finely balanced it was. but... so there is an element of surprise, yeah, a very interesting story. the viewing platform at tate modern opened in 2016. so is part of the judgment here about who was there first? because there is so much construction in that part of london that it is hard to remember whether the platform came first or whether the blocks of flats were still being built at that point. some people would say, if you're going to live in that area, you know tate modern is there, you can't really miss it. this is the people in glass houses argument. but i think... the two buildings were developed around the same time and actually, the flats were occupied before the viewing gallery opened. but the supreme court made it very clear that

that is not what is important. what's important is balancing the interests of neighbours. the court is acutely aware that we are talking about central london, in a cityscape, you can expect a certain amount of overlooking from your neighbours. but what the court defined as visual intrusion goes over and above that. the numbers are pretty dramatic. the viewing platform was estimated to have up to half a million visitors each year, and it is only 30 metres or so away from these glass—walled flats. you can imagine, that's 1600 people a day looking into your property. the supreme court said it is difficult to imagine anyone who wouldn't consider that to be an unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of your home. yes. so, we don't know what the resolution will be in practical terms yet. that has yet to be decided. but will this ruling give pause to other developers or anyone involved in the world of construction and architecture? will they have to take this

ruling into account? i don't think so. i think the extreme nature of the facts i just mentioned in terms of the numbers and the proximity, and the court made it very clear that this will not apply if you have two buildings standing side by side in london. it will not apply if you have someone looking out of their window into a neighbour's window. these situations are going to be very rare, where this new law would engage. so developers shouldn't fear the decision. james souter there. he was talking about that ruling from the supreme court today. let's just return to a story we bought you in the last few minutes about the controversial influencer, andrew tate. we are just hearing a decision through from the courts there in bucharest, the appeals court has just announced that andrew tate and

his brother, tristan, will be held in custody. they are going to remain in custody. they are going to remain in preventive custody until the 27th of this month. two romanian women who are detained with them are also going to be held in custody. the brothers had filed an appeal against their detention. that tension is taking place because specialist police are investigating allegations of human trafficking and rape against the brothers. they both deny those charges, but they have lost their attempt in the court had bucharest today, so they will be staying in custody until the end of this month. that isjust through their front bucharest. before you take a look at the weather prospects, just one other story to tell you briefly. you may know, it has been announced, beyonce is coming back. the global superstar has announced details of her much—anticipated world tour in support of her number

one album, renaissance. she announced the news on her instagram account a little earlier. the tour will kick off in stockholm, sweden, in may, with uk dates in cardiff, edinburgh, sunderland and london. but i think i'm right in saying, we don't have specific dates. i think thatis don't have specific dates. i think that is correct. we just know that she will be performing at some point. so there we are, there is a teaser, tickets not on sale yet. let's see, let's see whether they are as popular indeed as expensive as the madonna tickets. discuss! that is all coming up in the next little while, but we are going to pause and take a look at the weather prospects from enriched. —— mike from ben. good afternoon. not all of us has been a sunny is this so far.

just above the average for the time of year, but then tonight this band of rain continues tonight this band of rain continues tojourney north and tonight this band of rain continues to journey north and east end behind it the air will be turning increasingly mild, so by the end of the night 10 degrees in belfast, but through tomorrow we will see outbreaks of rain continuing, especially across the northern half of scotland, the rain really piling up of scotland, the rain really piling up over the hills in the north west of scotland, further south often large amounts of cloud, a bit of drizzle for western hills, but limited spells of sunshine and feeling mild for pretty much all of us, 11—13 . staying mile through friday and into saturday, sunday will turn a little colder, but brighter, with lots of sunshine.

this is bbc news. the headlines: thames valley police are about to give a press conference following the death of a four—year—old girl attacked by a dog in milton keynes. we will be there when the press conference gets under way. hundreds of thousands of workers — including school teachers — are on strike for what is the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales are open but the national education union says 85% of schools will be affected, and calls for ministers to engage in talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is what they have done since lastjuly, the government should get round the table now seriously and start to negotiate.

we are having those wide—ranging discussions. what is not realistic is for us to be looking at inflation or inflation—busting pay rises. train drivers also joined industrial action and passengers are advised to check timetables before they travel. in prime minister's questions, sir keir starmer attacked rishi sunak on his response to bullying claims against dominic raab. the prime minister said he acted quickly to the allegations. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of formal complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation, because i take action when these things happen. and... in australia, the tiny radioactive capsule

which fell off a truck on a desert highway is found! hello and good afternoon. welcome to bbc news. we will bring you that police conference in milton keynes as soon as it gets under way in the coming minutes. until that stance, let's turn our attention to the strikes happening in so many parts of the country. it's thought to be the biggest day of industrial action, according to unions, in more than a decade across the uk, with hundreds of thousands of people thought to be on strike, in disputes over pay, jobs, and conditions. teachers, train drivers, civil servants, university staff, bus drivers, all are on strike in different parts of

the country, with teachers in the national education union the largest group of workers on the picket lines. it's estimated up to 85% of schools are affected. our education correspondent, elaine dunkley, has been speaking to some of those on strike, in liverpool. cheering. from london to stoke, from cardiff to aberdeen, teachers are out on strike across britain. at chesterfield high in crosby, the school gates are closed. more than 1,000 children are at home, whilst teachers are on picket lines in a dispute over pay. i've been doing it 20 years now and, unfortunately, you watch a lot of really good young teachers come and go because they can get the same money elsewhere, without as much pressure. people are, you know, scrimping on shopping, struggling with electricity bills, etc. genuine worries that, you know, can't be avoided. you can'tjust stop paying your bills. if anybody knows a teacher, they'll know that it's not - just a nine—to—five job. every weekend, every i evening, early mornings,

it's a huge workload, but we do it for the l love of the children. one, two, three, four, five, six. down the road, at our lady queen of peace school, three classes have been sent home. the head is determined that those not in school won't fall behind. we'll ensure that the children do catch up, and this is not easy, but those children will be given extra tuition. this is what we're fighting for, we want extra staff within the schools. we're possibly looking at deficit budgets next year. that could result in losing many extra staff. if you've got a capital 0, - have you got it right or wrong? last year, most teachers were given a 5% pay rise, but many schools paid for it out of the existing school budget. the national education union wants a fully—funded, above—inflation pay rise. the thing that's driving our members is the state of crisis that's in many schools — that there are gcse chemistry

classes, gcse maths classes being taught by people who don't have qualifications in chemistry and maths, that there are primary classrooms where we can't get permanent staff. and we think that's rooted, partly, in funding of schools and the funding of pay for people to work in those jobs. this is ravenscliffe high school, in halifax. the children here have a wide range of special educational needs. today, more than 100 pupils will have to stay at home because of the strike. it's really hard, but it's part of a much bigger picture, and it is about the sustainability of education and special education in particular, going forward. recruitment is a major issue. staff are leaving. meanwhile, the school is having to take on more pupils. many special schools like ours are really struggling to recruit quality staff and retain them. the pay is not good. people here work here because they love the job, because they're really committed to the school, because they're passionate about children with special needs, not because of the salaries.

three years ago, we had about 195 children on roll. we've now got nearly 250, and that will go up again in september. this is a crisis, this is not sustainable, we cannot continue like this. no school can continue like this. the government says it's open for talks and has called the strikes "hugely disappointing". we've actually given teachers the highest pay rise in 30 years. that includes a 9% pay rise for newly qualified teachers and record investment in their training and development. i am clear that our children's education is precious and they deserve to be in school today, being taught. the placards are about pay, but behind the signs are teachers protesting about numerous pressures in the classroom. if an agreement isn't reached, schools will have three more days of strike action over the coming months. i'm at a rally here in liverpool and the city has been brought to a standstill by thousands of workers from different sectors. the council here have told us that 40% of schools are fully closed today.

across england and wales, more than 20,000 schools have been impacted by the strike. there's no indication of when the government will get back round the table for discussions with the national education union, but both say they're very keen to talk. but with the neu pushing for a fully funded pay rise, there could be a long way to go in the discussions. since the strikes were announced, the neu has had 40,000 new members join and if this dispute isn't resolved, there could be much more disruption this term and next for teachers, parents and of course pupils. our education correspondent with people on the picket line in liverpool. earlier, i spoke to our economics correspondent zoe conway, who was on the road with the strikers in london. well, the unions say they think there are about 30,000 people at that rally.

it was certainly incredibly noisy, and it was happening right on the prime minister's doorstepped outside the gates of downing street. they were in buoyant mood. you had several trade union leaders at the rally, the leader of the national education union, representing teachers, the head of the civil service union, the pcs, the head of the tuc, which represents all of the trade unions. and they were all delivering the same message to the prime minister to listen, to come to the negotiating table and to meet their demand for a pay rise in line with inflation, which is currently at 10.5%. it's a lot quieter now. it is a cleaning up exercise here on whitehall. the last of the placards are behind me. but whilst they were in a buoyant mood, there didn't seem to be a lot of optimism about whether the government was going to meet them on this idea of raising pay for this financial year.

it's still a question mark about whether the government will move on pay for the next financial year, which starts in april. but in terms of this year, there doesn't seem to be a lot comes to raising public sector pay. yes, and the tone from the government seems to be, we can't give inflation—busting pay rises or even big pay rises, because that itself would be inflationary. we're trying to tackle inflation. if that continues to be the government line, would the people who were with you today plan to continue striking, is that their mood? what is hard to ignore is the relentlessness of this industrial action. today was a big day, half a million workers.

to put that into context, the last really big strike was just over ten years ago, when up to 2 million workers walked out over public sector pensions. so it wasn't as big as that strike ten years ago. but we are facing a relentless wave of action. next week, it will be the turn of health workers. on monday, we have synchronised action between ambulance workers and nurses. we have the fire brigades union who could be striking in just over three weeks' time. what was interesting was that the head of the pcs union mark serwotka today was promising another day like today, more coordinated action and inviting even more unions to take part. earlier i spoke to pa's industrial correspondent alan jones about what impact these strikes are having. there are more and more workers going on strike.

and there is less chance of these disputes being resolved. it's quite incredible. we're nowhere near the one and only winter of discontent in 1978—79, but we're getting pretty close to that territory, just because of the numbers of workers going on strike and the length of these disputes. the rail dispute has been going on for months. the train drivers�* strike today is barely getting a mention because of the teachers, quite rightly, and the disruption that is causing. and as zoe was saying, next monday will be the biggest ever strike in the nhs. every day next week apart from wednesday, there's going to be a strike. midwives are going on strike, physiotherapists. you have head teachers talking about how the system has been underfunded for a decade. it is quite astonishing. and there are little or no negotiations being held and i don't see how the disputes are going to be resolved.

i was chatting in the last hour to david laws, no longer a politician, but he was once a liberal democrat. he was talking specifically about the teacher strikes because education is his speciality. but more broadly, he said ultimately, there is going to have to be, in his opinion, compromise on both sides. that is the only way any resolution is going to be found. is that a fair comment? up to a point. any dispute is resolved when the parties sit down and negotiate. sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks. but that is the big thing that is missing in these public—sector strikes. there is little or no negotiation going on. and as long as that remains, as long as the prime minister keeps saying they can't afford to give any more money to nurses, teachers, doctors, these disputes are going to carry on. they have to sit down and do some negotiating.

the unions are saying they are not even in a position to lower their demands, because there are no proper talks going on. there have been talks over the last few weeks, but they have almost gone backwards. the unions are exasperated about how little discussion there is about the issue at the core of all these things, strikes. and as you have heard, teachers and nurses are leaving and the people who are left are under incredible doing unpaid overtime, teachers teaching subjects they are not qualified for. it is a proper crisis. does it surprise you that there aren't the conversations going on, with your knowledge of this sector of industrial relations? is it surprising that it is at that pitch? it is. i thought there were going to be a couple of turning points last year.

the royal college of nursing said they were going to ballot for strikes, and i remember thinking there will have to be negotiations and it will have to be resolved. it wasn't. same again when the nurses went on strike. again, i thought there was no way they would let the nurses go on strike. they went on strike and there was no meeting. i think it is astonishing that there are no proper negotiations being held. if we carry on like this, we could still be talking about strikes during the next general election. in fact, some leaders i speak to say the only way these disputes will be resolved will probably be with a general election and a different government. that was alanjones, the industrial correspondent for pa media. rail passengers have been told to check before they travel today because of strike action. train drivers in the aslef and rmt unions are also due to stage another walk—out on friday. our transport correspondent, katy austin, has more details. picket lines and empty stations have

become a familiar sight. today and friday, some operators are running no trains at all. while many commuters can work from home, some passengers — like these at london's euston station — were frustrated. i live in manchester, so i've had to come last night and stay over so i can be here today. i missed my little boy's birthday the other week because i couldn't get a train. yeah, i've had enough of it. this time, it's more than 12,000 train drivers walking out. rail workers on picket lines say they can't do interviews because it could put theirjobs at risk, but train drivers i've spoken to say this dispute is not just about pay for them, it's also about protecting working conditions. the union aslef, which represents most drivers, already rejected an initial offer involving a li% pay rise two years in a row, saying that too many conditions were attached. as we go on, inflation gets higher and higher and higher, and the ability then to do a deal

with high inflation and high cost of living, when everybody wants to take everything you've got and give you nothing for it is a very difficult place to be in. ultimately, the government holds the purse strings and has to approve any offer that's made. a spokesperson said ministers continued to facilitate reasonable conversations between unions and employers. the group representing train companies in the negotiations insisted they and the union needed to keep trying to find common ground. we want to emphasise the need for us to give our staff a pay increase, but we cannot afford that without having the levels of reform that can try and stop us having to take additional funding from the taxpayer, particularly in this challenging time. the industry hopes to arrange fresh talks next week. without a breakthrough, strikes seem likely and that's something that businesses like this coffee shop near ashford station in kent are dreading. i have sympathy for them, i know that they're out

there for a reason, but it's also affecting our business. there's only so long that you can carry on in that situation, with it hurting so much. separately, the rmt, which represents other rail workers, is getting feedback from its members on the offers it has received so far before its committee decides what to do next. katy austin, bbc news. for more on the government's position, our political correspondentjonathan blake sent this update from westminster. despite the continued industrial action and the promised strikes in the coming days and weeks, the government is standing firm. there is no sign of a shift at the moment in the overall position that rishi sunak and his government has, and that is that to pay public sector workers in line with or even over and above the current rate of inflation would make the problem

worse and would cause prices to rise ever higher. that is not a universally held view. it's something which many people argue is not necessarily the case and that the government could, if it chose to, afford to pay nurses, train drivers, teachers and other public sector workers more than they are currently getting and more than the independent pay review body has recommended and the government has agreed to. sector by sector, there are differing signs of progress. if you look at the railways, they look to be relatively close to some kind of compromise on either side which could lead to a solution. in terms of the school strikes which are getting attention today in england and wales, the education secretary gillian keegan this morning was saying she has had meetings with the union leaders earlier this week in which they discussed a range of issues. the government is happy to talk about those and concede on them, whether that is working conditions, or recruitment and retention, but there is the sticking point of pay.

and it doesn't seem at the moment that the government is willing to budge on that, and the prime minister has said his number one priority is reducing inflation, even if that means dealing with the ongoing disruption that strike action is causing. jonathan blake, our political correspondent, on all the strike action we have been talking about and experiencing today, and there is more to come on friday and next week and potentially beyond. just to remind you before we move one that we are still waiting for an update from the police in milton keynes. we are expecting the police, thames valley police, to give us more information following the death of a four year girl in a dog attack. the police have said they will be giving journalists an update. it was due a few minutes ago, so we are keeping

an eye because that is running late for reasons i am not clear on. as soon as that police news briefing gets under way, we will be back in milton keynes following the very sad news of the death of a four—year—old girl in a dog attack. for now, we will turn to other areas of british politics. the prime minister has defended his handling of bullying allegations against the deputy prime minister dominic raab. rishi sunak�*s comments at prime minister's questions come as one union leader called on the formerjustice secretary, to step aside while an inquiry is carried out. mr raab denies the allegations. here's our political correspondent, lone wells. let's make him our next prime minister. please welcome rishi sunak! cheering and applause. his deputy, his close ally, and his latest political headache. questions mounting for dominic raab over bullying allegations... will you sack dominic raab, prime minister? ..leading to questions for the prime minister over whether to sack him.

according to recent reports, some of the complainants were physically sick. one says they were left suicidal. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully, simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? we are going to head straight to milton keynes to hear from superintendent marc tarbit, who is just heading up to the microphones and cameras for an update following the death of a four—year—old girl in a dog attack. iam i am superintendent marc tarbit and i'm the police commanderfor milton keynes. i am saddened to be talking to you under such tragic

circumstances today. i will run through the facts as we currently know them and then i will provide some updates. just after 5p yesterday afternoon, officers were called to a property in broad land in netherfield, where it was reported that a child had been attacked by a dog in a back garden. medical staff attended the location but sadly, a four—year—old girl was pronounced dead at the scene. the formal identification has not yet taken place and our thoughts are with herfamily and taken place and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time. the child's family are being supported by specially trained officers and we would ask that their privacy is respected. an investigation is currently under way to understand the circumstances, but we currently believe this was a tragic isolated incident and there is no threat to the wider community. accordingly, no arrests have been made at this time. i can confirm that the dog was a family pet and was put down by police at the scene

yesterday evening. part of the investigation is to establish the breed of that dog. while our investigation takes place, there will be more officers in the area over the coming days. this is clearly an incident that has shocked and upset people, and i urge residents to speak to officers with any concerns they have. i would also like to ask the community for their support in not speculating about this matter, and offer reassurance that our detectives are working hard to progress the investigation. you can contact us if you have any information. i will share further updates when we have them. thank you. updates when we have them. thank ou. ,, , , , ., you. studio: so, the briefest of statements— you. studio: so, the briefest of statements from _ you. studio: so, the briefest ofj statements from superintendent you. studio: so, the briefest of- statements from superintendent marc tarbit from thames valley police. he called it a tragic incident, confirming that the little girl was

seen to by professional medics in the garden where she was attacked, but sadly was pronounced dead at the scene yesterday at teatime. he stressed that in the police's view, this was a tragic isolated incident with no threat to the wider public, confirming that the dog in question was a family pet. the dog has been put down. they are trying to establish the breed of the dog, confirming the death of the four—year—old girl yesterday. now, let's return to a few other stories. a labour mp has apologised for remarks she made about the israeli government during prime minister's questions. kim johnson, who's been the mp for liverpool riverside since 2019, referred to the israeli government as "fascist" and "an apartheid state" while asking about israel's treatment of palestinian civilians. making a point of order two hours later, she apologised "unreservedly"

for what she called the "intemperate language" she'd used when questioning rishi sunak. labour leader sir keir starmer has condemned the remarks. two men, mohamed el—abboud and kusai al—jundi, have been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years, for killing a 71—year—old woman in a plot to steal her life savings and take over her rental properties. louise kam disappeared injuly 2021. her body was eventually found dumped in a rubbish bin the following month, and she'd been strangled. helena wilkinson, has more from the old bailey. this is 71—year—old businesswoman louise kam, who was callously murdered for her money. the two men, who she met through a mutualfriend, targeted louise for her property in a sophisticated fraud. in this video, filmed at one of the properties she rented, el—abboud is seen boasting

to his friends about his new lifestyle. he had moved in before the murder and treated it as his own home. his friend, al—jundi, masterminded the deception and spent months trying to deceive louise kam into giving him control of her finances. today they were sentenced in proceedings that were televised. after you had killed louise, you took her mobile phone and bank cards. messages were sent from her phone purporting to be from her to her family and to her close friends. in those messages, you sought to deceive those who loved and cared for louise as to her true whereabouts and what it was that you had done to her. after the murder, mohamed el—abboud posted this video on social media apparently celebrating. the pair then disposed of louise kam's body in this wheelie bin, where she was later discovered by police.

in a victim personal statement read to court, louise kam's son, gregory, said that he had been left feeling numb and grief—stricken. the pair will spend at least 35 years in prison for the murder of a pensioner, committed out of greed. helen wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. owners of four flats opposite the viewing gallery at london's tate modern art gallery have won a legal case in court over levels of intrusion that they say prevent them from enjoying their homes. the court determined that the flat owners faced a "constant visual intrusion" that impact on their right to privacy. james souter is a real estates dispute partnerfrom international law firm charles russell speechlys. i think there's significant surprise in the legal community. probably the large body

of the profession expected the decisions of the high court and the court of appeal to be upheld this morning by the supreme court. so it came as a surprise that, having lost in the high court, having lost in the court of appeal, that the neighbouring flat owners succeeded in the supreme court. it was a split decision of the court. it was 3—2, which shows you how finely balanced it was. but... so there is an element of surprise, yeah, a very interesting story. the viewing platform at tate modern opened in 2016. so is part of the judgment here about who was there first? because there is so much construction in that part of london that it is hard to remember whether the platform came first or whether the blocks of flats were still being built at that point. some people would say, if you're going to live in that area, you know tate modern is there, you can't really miss it. this is the people in glass houses argument. but i think... the two buildings were developed around the same time and actually,

the flats were occupied before the viewing gallery opened. but the supreme court made it very clear that that is not what is important. what's important is balancing the interests of neighbours. the court is acutely aware that we are talking about central london. in a cityscape, you can expect a certain amount of overlooking from your neighbours. but what the court defined as visual intrusion goes over and above that. the numbers are pretty dramatic. the viewing platform was estimated to have up to half a million visitors each year, and it's only 30 metres or so away from these glass—walled flats. you can imagine, that's 1,600 people a day looking into your property. the supreme court said it's difficult to imagine anyone who wouldn't consider that to be an unreasonable interference with the enjoyment of your home. yes. so, we don't know what the resolution will be in practical terms yet. that has yet to be decided. but will this ruling give pause

to other developers or anyone involved in the world of construction and architecture? will they have to take this ruling into account? i don't think so. i think the extreme nature of the facts i just mentioned in terms of the numbers and the proximity, and the court made it very clear that this will not apply if you have two buildings standing side by side in london. it will not apply if you have someone looking out of their window into a neighbour's window. these situations are going to be very rare, where this new law would engage. so developers shouldn't fear the decision. james souter there. talking there about thatjudgment in the supreme court. let's pause and take a look at the weather prospects, here is ben behind me. how marvellous! panto

time! good afternoon, talking of magic, look at this guy, what a beautiful end to the day for this weather watcher in kent, but we have seen a bit more in the way of cloud coming in through the day and actually towards the north—west of the uk that cloud has been thick enough to produce some rain, patchy rain splashing northwards and eastwards and you can see from the satellite picture the way which cloud amounts have been increasing. overnight this band of patchy rain continues to journey north—east and we will see heavier rain pushing back into north east of scotland and it is going to be turning increasingly mild through the night, 10 degrees in belfast tomorrow morning. a mile to start to thursday, a very wet start to north—west scotland, the rain piling up north—west scotland, the rain piling up pr, elsewhere large amounts odd spot of drizzle, but some sunny breaks and a very mild day, 11—13 and it will stay mild as we go through friday and into saturday, drive for many, a bit of rain up

north, sunday looks brighter, but a bit of rain up north, sunday looks brighter, but a bit colder. hello, this is bbc news with me, jane hill. the headlines: police have described the death of a four year girl is a tragic incident. named locally as alice stones, the little girl died following a dog attack in milton keynes yesterday. hundreds of thousands of workers — including school teachers — are on strike for what is the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales are open, but the national education union says 85% of schools will be affected, and calls for ministers to engage in talks. rather than messing about and doing nothing, which is what they have done since lastjuly, the government should get round the table now seriously and start to negotiate. we are having those wide—ranging discussions.

what is not realistic is for us to be looking at inflation or inflation—busting pay rises. train drivers also joined industrial action and passengers are advised to check timetables before they travel. in prime minister's questions, sir keir starmer attacked rishi sunak on his response to bullying claims against dominic raab. the prime minister said he acted quickly to the allegations. how would he feel if one of his friends or relatives was being forced to work for a bully simply because the man at the top was too weak to do anything about it? when i was made aware of former complaints, i instructed a leading independent kc to conduct an investigation, because i take action when these things happen.

let's catch up with all the day's sports news now, here is holly hamilton again. hello, jane. the seven times super bowl champion tom brady has announced his retirement again. he did call time on his career this day last year, but he reversed his decision six weeks later, claiming he had unfinished business. today he says he is finishing his nfl careerfor good this time. he posted this on to social media. i am retiring — for good. i know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when i woke up this morning i figured just press record and let you guys know first, so i won't be long—winded. you only get one super emotional retirement essay and i used mine up last year, so... really, thank you guys so much, to every single one of you for supporting me. my family, my friends, my team—mates. .. ..my competitors...

i could go on forever, there are too many. thank you, guys, for allowing me to live my absolute dream. i wouldn't change a thing. love you all. for months on from the collapse of worcester warriors, administrators say they have appointed the club's former chief executive, jim o'toole, and his business partner, james sandford, as new owners. the process has taken almost six months since jim o'toole made his first offer to buy the club from previous owners last august. well over a month prior to the club entering administration. their consortium, atlas, will now take over the running of the club. manchester united's manager, mark skinner, insists he is very hopeful that alessia will sign a new contract to remain at the club next season. united rejected a second

world record beating bid of almost £500,000 from arsenal for alessia on transfer day, but the player's current deal expires this summer and she turned down a contract injune. what is very clear is that alessia rousseau is a manchester united player, so if there were bids they were turned down. honestly i don't know, i haven't asked her and i don't really care, in all honesty it is about what we're trying to build here and i think we have been very clear we have a vision, we know what we want to achieve and i think it is a credit to alessia and manchester united that teens would even be interested. united that teens would even be interested-— united that teens would even be interested. a, . , interested. manchester united men already have _ interested. manchester united men already have one _ interested. manchester united men already have one foot _ interested. manchester united men already have one foot in _ interested. manchester united men already have one foot in the - interested. manchester united men already have one foot in the league | already have one foot in the league final, in the second leg against nottingham forest tonight. assuming they can avoid surrendering a 3—0 advantage gained from the first leg in nottingham, eric will guide manchester united to the final on

the 26th of february and will be in breach of the first piece of silverware for the club since 2017, with the prospect of a domestic cup double life as well. we are playing the semifinal and we have... we have the perfect chance to go to wembley, to bring a trophy in. and therefore we have to focus and therefore we have to gather the energy, therefore we have to gather the good game plan for tomorrow, i think it is all about that and we have to do it with the players who are available. it was obviously a disappointment, the first leg and result and there is no doubt about that and i think we are all frustrated... ..in the manner and the timing of the goals, but it is a situation that we find ourselves in and we have to deal with it going into the second leg and in terms of qualifying for the final, it is obviously... ..an incredibly tough task. it would have been anyway, to beat manchester united over two legs, but we have

made it even harder. and in cricket, england recovered from a tough start to set south africa a target of 3117 to win the third and final odi in kimberley, after slumping 111—3, england were indebted to a record—breaking partnership between captainjos buttler and dawid milan, going out for over a century both. they are now 109—2 in the 18th over. south africa are down a crease. that is all this but for now. thanks very much, holly hamilton there with all the latest sport. just to bring you some news from the world of business and industry, we arejust some news from the world of business and industry, we are just hearing that british steel is considering 800 job cuts at its plant in

scunthorpe. they are considering, thatis scunthorpe. they are considering, that is the key word here, but the bbc understands that that is indeed the case. british steel itself declining to comment on that. but at the moment british steel employs about a500 people in the uk. but we hear that it is looking into the possibility of 800 job cuts at its plant in scunthorpe, in lincolnshire. you might remember, it has been in the news quite a lot recently. the company is in a process, really, of negotiating with the government at the moment. it wants a support package of £300 million, a support package in that negotiation and that negotiation is ongoing. the support package was contingent on further investment from the parent company, it is owned by a chinese group. so no comment officially bearfrom by a chinese group. so no comment officially bear from british steel, but the bbc understands that is under consideration, that number of job losses there in scunthorpe. we

will keep you updated and of course if the company itself does any more we will bring you that as well. in the us, president biden's lawyer has said the fbi is searching the president's home in delaware, as part of an investigation into classified documents. the lawyer has described the search as "planned". the fbi hasn't commented. earlier, our north america correspondent, gary o'donoghue, told me more on this. this is the second time in two weeks the fbi have gone intojoe biden's homes and started rummaging through the sock drawer and elsewhere looking for classified documents. you will remember that he's already disclosed that a number of classified documents were already found at a think tank he was part of in washington and also at his wilmington home, which is the capital of delaware, and then in this house on the beach, at rehoboth, they are searching that as well. the key thing here is that his lawyers first searched both his own private homes, came up with some documents. the fbi went back and found some more, so they are clearly not satisfied that the lawyers looked hard enough and that is why this

second search is taking place, but being done with the cooperation of the president. still, quite a spectacle, a sitting president having the fbi in their homes looking through their stuff. yes, absolutely. thus far in this story, am i right in saying that the president or his team have always tried to explain why the documents are there, what sort of things they are? is that the situation we are in? because when you talk about searching for documents, of course it takes you back to the searching of donald trump's home in florida. yes, i mean, these were "inadvertent" is the word they have been using, that they were left behind by mistake, it is the same thing that mike pence said, the former republican vice president, about the documents that were found at his home. these cases, both mike pence and biden, are slightly different to that of donald trump, of course, who resisted handing back documents for months and months. the fbi subpoenaed him, then they invoked a search warrant of his home in mar—a—lago and found more top—secret documents and are now

investigating potential charges under the espionage act and obstruction, as well as the general laws that govern classified documents, so the cases are a bit different. nevertheless, joe biden is under investigation by a special counsel. that is a serious business for anyone and the fact that they are still going through his home means they don't really trust the fact that the lawyers have had a look. they want to make sure for themselves there is nothing else there. and this be something that will be a cloud over the president's head for the next few months, at least. gary o'donoghue there, our washington correspondent. as promised, we will talk a bit more about our main story, of course, strikes. today is the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade across the uk, with hundreds of thousands of people believed to be on strike in disputes about pay,

jobs and conditions. teachers, train drivers, single servants, university staff, bus drivers, they are all the on strike in different parts of the country and it is of course not over yet. let's take a few minutes to discuss how it might get resolved, how the government in particular, what its stance might be trying to get these disputes resolved. i'm joined by richard balfe, who was appointed by david cameron is a trade union envoy in 2008. good afternoon to you, lord balfe. it is afternoon to you, lord balfe. it is a long list of sectors now society on strike, it is not over, there are many more dates in the diary still to come. what is your take, first of all, onjust where to come. what is your take, first of all, on just where we are right now, the fact that we have seen sony days of strikes already in different sectors, what are your thoughts on that? , ., , , sectors, what are your thoughts on that? , , , that? there is a very big problem out there. _ that? there is a very big problem out there, isn't _ that? there is a very big problem out there, isn't fair? _ that? there is a very big problem out there, isn't fair? because - out there, isn't fair? because inflation is racing ahead,

everybody, all the people, including the people not on strike, can see it in their weekly bills and the fact of the matter is that the government has got to come up with some formula or other to look after the people. most of these strikes are in the public sector. the most of these strikes are in the public sector-— most of these strikes are in the ublic sector. , ., . , public sector. the government has not to find public sector. the government has got to find a _ public sector. the government has got to find a way — public sector. the government has got to find a way to _ public sector. the government has got to find a way to look _ public sector. the government has got to find a way to look after - got to find a way to look after these people. i mean, you know that these people. i mean, you know that the government approach currently is that pay rises, big pay rises are inflationary? one of the key things they are trying to tackle right now is inflation. therefore, they say big, big demand simply cannot, they cannot give them feedback given to them. so where does one start with a negotiation?— negotiation? well, with all negotiation, _ negotiation? well, with all negotiation, you _ negotiation? well, with all negotiation, you start - negotiation? well, with all negotiation, you start by l negotiation? well, with all- negotiation, you start by looking for a compromise. the fact of the matter is that many people are very badly hit. inflation has soared out of any limit that anybody realised and part of the problem will

probably have to be solved by accepting that inflation is cut at a slightly slower rate than the government would wish. but, you know, people are suffering out there. people don't stop having a day's pay, lose a day's pension and because all these problems for their own families and children without having some sort of good cause. this is far too big to be put down to the whims of one trade union leader, which it isn't. 50 whims of one trade union leader, which it isn't.— whims of one trade union leader, which it isn't. so some form of pay rise, which it isn't. so some form of pay rise. across _ which it isn't. so some form of pay rise, across all _ which it isn't. so some form of pay rise, across all the _ which it isn't. so some form of pay rise, across all the sectors, - which it isn't. so some form of pay rise, across all the sectors, will. rise, across all the sectors, will have to be given? is that essentially your contention? i think the government _ essentially your contention? i think the government should _ essentially your contention? i think the government should call - essentially your contention? i think the government should call back. essentially your contention? i think| the government should call back the pay review bodies and look for an interim settlement, in other words one to tide them over for the next few months until the next settlement. and that will involve

money, yes. but, you know, you can't cure inflation byjust hitting at one section of the community. it is not fair and one section of the community. it is not fairand it one section of the community. it is not fair and it is not on. and they know it. , ~ ., not fair and it is not on. and they know it. , ~' ., not fair and it is not on. and they know it. , ~ ., . , know it. they know it? that is interesting- — know it. they know it? that is interesting. people _ know it. they know it? that is interesting. people who - know it. they know it? that is interesting. people who are l know it. they know it? that is| interesting. people who are on strike are _ interesting. people who are on strike are suffering. _ interesting. people who are on strike are suffering. they - interesting. people who are on strike are suffering. they are l interesting. people who are on i strike are suffering. they are also giving up a day's pay because they are very frustrated. you know, these are very frustrated. you know, these are not wild pupils. these are the responsible people in society who are running our trains, our hospitals, our buses, ourschools, you name it. these are responsible people. you name it. these are responsible --eole. �* . ., people. and there are some union leaders, people. and there are some union leaders. you _ people. and there are some union leaders, you know, _ people. and there are some union leaders, you know, who _ people. and there are some union leaders, you know, who say - people. and there are some union leaders, you know, who say the i leaders, you know, who say the government is barely even coming to the table, they can't even sit down and have a conversation. is that a fair assessment of where we are? and if so, how on earth does it, how has it come to this? i if so, how on earth does it, how has it come to this?— it come to this? i think the prime minister wants _ it come to this? i think the prime minister wants to _ it come to this? i think the prime minister wants to settlement. - it come to this? i think the prime minister wants to settlement. he j it come to this? i think the prime l minister wants to settlement. he is trying to move us out of the very

difficult politics of the last half of last year and he has my full support, but i do say to him, find a way of talking. you know, you are not going to cure this by confrontation. people are not going to back down because they are very angry, they are getting a bit hungry and, you know, they have taken this action after quite serious consideration.— action after quite serious consideration. there very interesting _ consideration. there very interesting to _ consideration. there very interesting to talk - consideration. there very interesting to talk to - consideration. there very | interesting to talk to you. consideration. there very - interesting to talk to you. thank you so much for your time this afternoon, thank you, lord richard balfe. ., ~' afternoon, thank you, lord richard balfe. . ,, balfe. thank you. i hope the government _ balfe. thank you. i hope the government has _ balfe. thank you. i hope the government has listened. i balfe. thank you. i hope the i government has listened. lord richard balfe _ government has listened. lord richard balfe just _ government has listened. lord richard balfe just said, - government has listened. lord richard balfejust said, i- government has listened. lord richard balfe just said, i hope the richard balfejust said, i hope the government is listening, in case you didn't catch that last bit. a very interesting perspective, lord richard balfe, who was appointed a trade union envoy by david cameron backin trade union envoy by david cameron back in 2008. house prices in the uk fell in january for the fifth month, according to nationwide

building society. last month, the average property price was £258,297, down 0.6% on december. and the affordability of mortgages remains challenging — because of higher interest rates and the cost of living crisis. nathan emerson is the chief executive of property mark, a professional body for estate agents. we have seen considerable increases, during the covid period we saw 20% increases in value, so the levels we are seeing now do indicate a softening of the market, but not to levels that are of drastic concern. people watching this will think, why do we worry about this? why should we worry? it might be an opportunity forfirst—time buyers to have a slightly better chance of getting on the property ladder, why would it matter? absolutely. we mustn't forget that a lot of the nation's wealth is tied up in their home. we are a homeownership country, so people do study that carefully

and it affects everyday life and it affects higher interest rates and the cost of living. so people are being a bit more cautious about what they are buying. we haven't got the rampant demand. but yes, by and large, it does also create a bit of extra manoeuvrability for those entering the marketplace. with, i suppose, the caveat on top of that being the challenge that simply affording a mortgage right now, given interest rates and given all the other bills in life have gone up so sharply in the last year, that is a problem. is that going to continue to be a drag on the market, is there less demand because of that? we'll certainly see some challenges. we have to bear in mind that the demand for housing is still greater than the supply that is available. that is what continues

to fuel things. yes, you are right, the cost of people's mortgage payments is a lot higher than people have been used to and we are seeing a lot of people on long—term 2% and 3% fixed rate mortgages coming to an end and seeing an increase in their monthly mortgage payments on top of their everyday expenses and cost of living. so there are challenges, but the banks have been stress testing people for many years now since the last financial crash. so while it is uncomfortable, we are not seeing drastic increases in arrears, we are not seeing repossession. we are seeing a levelling out of the market and we are seeing a return to more normal levels of transactions. that is interesting, so you are not seeing some of the things we might assume will be happening? because the percentage increase in the last year has been so stark that, very regrettably, no one wants to say it, but there could be people who are coming to the end

of their fixed—rate period and are seeing such a dramatic leap in their monthly repayments that that gives them really tough decisions. that is absolutely a fair thing to say. let me caveat, it is because we have been used to historically low interest rates over the last few years. we are still below the historic average, and mortgages do stress test for that. the problem actually is that we all have a level of disposable income and as we have had more disposable income than we would normally have had, we have got used to that and it has put people in a position where they are now starting to reflect on their monthly outgoings, like every single one of us are. on top of that, we are seeing higher fuel prices, both in terms of domestic vehicles, but also in terms of heating, lighting and expenses, and you can only spend that money once. so it is making people reflect. but i think the demand is still there.

we are seeing prices rise by over 20% over the pandemic over a two—year period. so whilst we are levelling out, i would rather we had levelled out levelled out than continued at what were unsustainable levels of growth, because that would have then have caused a much more severe correction. the latest on the continuing decline in house prices fair. officials in brussels have dismissed suggestions that there could be a compromise deal over the european court ofjustice's role in the northern ireland protocol. the mechanism keeps northern ireland inside the eu's single market for goods, meaning trade can flow across the land border. but it also means new checks and controls on goods entering northern ireland from great britain. the times newspaper claimed that negotiators had reached a compromise, but sources close to the talks have disputed that.

professor anand menon, director of the thinktank uk in a changing europe, which carries out research on the uk's relationship with the eu, told us more. we have the times running with this story that a deal is about to be signed, we have the eu saying not. i think what is obviously the case is both sides are desperate to get a deal and there are signs that both sides are making compromises, but as you started off saying, on that fundamental issue of the role of the european court ofjustice, the situation is rather binary and from the eu's point of view, if eu law applies in northern ireland, the ultimate arbiter of that law is the european court ofjustice, no ifs or buts. you can dress it up, you could say there are references to the british courts through the ecj. what we don't know is how far rishi sunak is willing to go. under some of his predecessors, when david frost was negotiating, this was an absolute red line. what we don't know with rishi sunak is whether he is willing to comproise on that to get a deal. and second and equally important, if he is willing to compromise, whether his party is willing to go along with him if he does. as ever, you are ahead of me

because that was exactly it. you have made the point that they are desperate to reach a deal, we know nothing is functioning at stormont, that is a key element of this. but rishi sunak and/or others might think, "this is how we have to tackle this if we want to get anything through," but as so often, with the issue of europe, there are other voices and pressures, particularly on the conservative backbenches. well, there are two sets of pressures — you mentioned stormont and of course it is absolutely fundamental to get stormont working again, that the dup accept whatever deal he comes back with. they have laid out some pretty firm red lines about what they expect in any deal on the protocol, but then, as you say, also with rishi sunak�*s backbenchers. there are two groups — the european research group that everybody talks about, they have in the past stymied attempts to get theresa may's deal through parliament, saying this betrays brexit principles. and then another group loosely coalesced around former prime minister boris johnson and there is a degree

of concern in number ten that they don't want to sign up to anything that allows him to cry betrayal because then you might find the makings of a quite sizeable number of backbenchers who are sort of turning against the prime minister on brexit policy. professor anand menon, director of uk in a changing europe. a group of metal detectorists sparked an alert after finding an unexploded bomb neara after finding an unexploded bomb near a school. the discovery at a former air raid shelter led to homes being evacuated and free schools in in the gordon near the highlands being closed as a precaution. navy explosion experts removed the bomb for disposal. the metal detectorists were part of a group searching for

war a rtefa cts. were part of a group searching for war artefacts. we were part of a group searching for war artefacts— war artefacts. we quickly came across something, _ war artefacts. we quickly came across something, so - war artefacts. we quickly came across something, so we - war artefacts. we quickly came across something, so we dug l war artefacts. we quickly came - across something, so we dug around it, we took it out and took some photos of it, we didn't know what it was, it looked like an old heavy bottle or a shell or something, so i posted a few pictures onto a metal detecting page on facebook and then quickly people were applying back, telling us it was perhaps a stokes mortar bomb and just to leave it. and to contact the police. goodness, one rocky detector— and to contact the police. goodness, one rocky detector rest. _ and to contact the police. goodness, one rocky detector rest. quickly - one rocky detector rest. quickly just to tell you that beyonce is back. the global superstar has announced details of her much—anticipated world tour in support of her number one album, renaissance. she announced the news on her instagram account a little earlier. the tour will kick off in stockholm, sweden, in may, with uk dates in cardiff, edinburgh, sunderland and london. it's her first headlining tour since her formation world tour in 2016. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich.

hello, jane. thank you, good afternoon. this time last night, it was turning very windy indeed across the north of scotland. we were seeing gusts of 60—70 mph in association with the well of cloud here, this passing close to the north of scotland, but the winds have been easing through the day and at the same time bringing this next zone of cloud, bringing more outbreaks of rain for some in northern ireland, northern england and parts of scotland, that was the scene in troon early on for a weather watcher. these outbreaks pushing north and east through the night, most of outbreaks patchy, we will see heavier rain racing back into the north of scotland and further on any night, the odd spot of drizzle further south along high ground in the west, temperatures by the end of the night 5—10 , so we are very mild start to thursday morning. high pressure to the south, this frontal system to the north bringing outbreaks of rain and

between these weather fronts we will have a wedge of milder air, so the next couple of days are looking unseasonably mild. certainly for early february. thursday outbreaks of rain across north—west scotland, some quite heavy rain over the hills and mountains, eastern scotland should see a bit of brightness, and should see a bit of brightness, and should southern scotland. northern ireland and england and wales have quite large amounts of cloud, the odd spot of drizzle in the west, but equally some sunny spells, but look at these temperatures, widely into double digits, 11—13. it will briefly turn a bit colder in the north of the uk through thursday night is this cold front slip self, windy and as well, but on friday this month start to move back north—east again as a warm front and it reintroduces that mild air behind this band of patchy rain. for northern ireland, england and wales the skies should brighten a little to give some spells of sunshine and in any sunshine, well, highs of 13 or 1a degrees will feel very mild

indeed. we start the weekend in that mild air as well, but there is a change to come and it is in the form of this frontal system here. this is a cold front, it will bring a bit of rain south—east during saturday and behind that cold front, as the name suggests, the air will turn colder. but at the same time in two sunday we see this big area of high pressure building strongly across the uk, so while sunday will be a slightly colder day, it should also be a significantly brighter one with plenty of winter sunshine.

this is bbc news. the headlines hundreds of thousands of workers — including school teachers — are on strike for what is the biggest day of industrial action in more than a decade. the government says most schools in england and wales are open but the national education union says 85% of schools will be affected, and calls for ministers to engage in talks. police have described the death of a four—year—old girl as a �*tragic, isolated incident�*. named locally as alice stones, she died following a dog attack in milton keynes yesterday. i can confirm that the dog was a family pet, and was put down by police at the scene yesterday evening. part of the investigation is to establish the breed of that dog.

british steele is considering