this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. our top stories... ukraine's foreign minister has warned that countries failing to support kyiv during its darkest hour will be held to account. china's president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week. doctors are being urged tojoin pay talks with the government, after a deal was struck with other nhs unions in england. more limits on the video sharing app tiktok — new zealand is the latest country to restrict its use. killers with a history of coercive or controlling behaviour against their victims will face tougher sentences and the families on a remote scottish island with a high risk of cancer after scientists discover

a harmful gene. hello and welcome to bbc news. dmytro kuleba, ukraine's foreign minister, has warned that countries which "mistreated ukraine" during "the darkest moment of its history" will be held to account after the war ends. in an interview with the bbc, he also warned western allies that delaying the delivery of weapons will cost the lives of ukrainian soldiers. our diplomatic correspondent, james landale, has been speaking to him, and began by asking him why the battle for bakhmut — in the east of ukraine — is so important. the battle for bakhmut is now the longest of the war. more than half a year of bloody fighting for control of what is little more than rubble.

but ukraine's foreign minister told me holding the city was vital, and notjust for the damage it's causing to russia's army. defending bakhmut is emotionally very challenging, because people find it hard emotionally to take, carry the burden of this death, loss of human life and destruction. it's a struggle to save those who are behind bakhmut from that same destiny as bakhmut is now suffering from. he said what ukraine needs in bakhmut and elsewhere on the front line is artillery shells, and western partners were not acting fast enough. if one delivery is postponed for one day, it means that someone is going to die on the front line. it means that someone who could have been still alive is going to die.

western allies may be giving military support like tanks, now potentially even fighterjets, but some countries oppose the war and have given ukraine nothing. for them, mr kuleba had a warning, telling me any nations which mistreat ukraine now would pay a price in the future. if anyone in the world thinks that the way this or that country behaved itself or treated ukraine at the darkest moment of its history, and that that will not be taken into account in building future relations, these people just don't know how diplomacy works. for now, the fighting continues but so too does the diplomacy. for without that, ukraine soldiers will run out of the arms and ammunition they need to hold their ground. james landale, bbc news, kyiv. the chinese president, xijinping, will visit russia next week to hold talks with president putin.

the announcement for the state visit was made by the foreign ministry in beijing and by the kremlin, which said the two leaders would discuss strategic cooperation. it added that a number of important bilateral agreements would be signed. new zealand's government has become the latest to ban tiktok on devices with access to its parliamentary network, due to security concerns. this is because of fears that the chinese—owned app passes information about users to the chinese government — something the owners, bytedance, deny. earlier on thursday, the uk followed the united states, and the european commission, in banning the app from sensitive government devices. china says it's a politically motivated decision, not one based on facts — and tiktok�*s european spokesman had this to say... we are very disappointed. the government has said this is about fears rather than facts. we haven't done anything wrong.

and we believe this is based on geopolitics more than anything else. i think tiktok is a political football in all of this. doctors�* leaders and government ministers are being urged to start formal pay talks after a breakthrough on a deal with other nhs staff in england. unions representing health workers — including nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics — are recommending their members back a 5% pay rise following months of industrial action. with more detail here's our health editor hugh pym. what do we want? fair pay! when do we want it? now! it was an unprecedented series of strikes by nhs staff, starting in december. two weeks ago, intensive talks with ministers began in england and now health union leaders have agreed to put a new pay offer to members in a ballot. for this financial year, there'll be a one—off payment of at least £1655, for the lowest paid workers, with larger amounts for more experienced nhs staff.

and there will be a pay rise of 5% in the next financial year, beginning in april. this offer that is on the table has been hard won by health workers. we would have liked to have seen this significantly earlier, and we could have avoided all of the disruption over this winter. that said, what we have wanted all along is to give health workers a choice between taking strike action and having a credible offer on the table. but apart from saying some of the money will come from the existing department of health budget, the government has not given much detail on the funding of the offer. we're being clear that as part of the discussions we have, this will not come from areas of the budget which impact on patients. so those were part of the terms of the discussions that we had. that was the nature of the negotiation, and that was part of the mandate i received from the prime minister and from the chancellor. a strike byjunior doctors in england this week affected all forms of care including emergencies.

many hospitals cancelled operations and appointments. yesterday the health secretary wrote to the british medical association offering to meet. the doctors union said it was willing to do so. but, he said before he will only discuss the sort of deal offered to other health unions. the bma has called for 35% wage rise to compensate for inflation over 15 years. so while a preliminary meeting looks likely, the possibility of further progress is more uncertain. nhs providers, representing trusts in england, said there must be urgent movement on talks with thejunior doctors and both sides needed to re—double their efforts. hugh pym, bbc news. in the last few moments we are hearing that the uk government and education unions are having intensive talks on teacher pay, conditions and the reduction of

workload, this has been announced in a joint statement. there had been teacher strikes this week as well in england, so the government and education unions have agreed to intensive talks on teacher pay, conditions and work load reduction they have announced in a joint statement, will bring more detail we get it. markets in asia have risen after concerns about the banking sector started to ease with the announcement of a multi—billion— dollar rescue package for first republic bank in the united states. the package is backed by major american banks, among them jpmorgan chase, citigroup, and morgan stanley. first republic was the victim of a wider scare over bank liquidity following the collapse of two us banks in recent days. our north america correspondent peter bowes has more. this is an attempt to shore up confidence in the banking industry, both the words of the treasury secretary who said that she is confident that the banking sector is secure, but also the actions of these 11 major private banks

including jp morgan chase and citigroup injecting some $30 billion into first republic, this medium—sized bank that was in danger of also going under. this is a bank that is quite prominent here in california. and it also, like the silicon valley bank that went down last week, it also serves that community, the start—up community in northern california. it also serves the wine industry here in california. we have seen over the last few days, some people queueing outside their branches to take money out of that particular bank because they were so concerned that it, too, could go under. now, what we are seeing now is perhaps a rallying and an increase in confidence in not only this bank, but the banking sector at large. because there had been tremendousjitters, a ripple effect, not only here in the us but really across the world as to what

was happening. i think it is a matter of holding our breaths for a few hours, maybe a few days to see how investors respond to the actions, certainly of the 11 banks, to save first republic. she talked about a contagion, effectively comparing what could happen with a virus sweeping through a community. essentially, this is the financial version of a virus that could have serious effects, perhaps causing a pandemic. everyone is hoping there will not be a financial pandemic. we are certainly far from that at the moment, but it does hinge on certainly the response of the market, but also the response of individual investors. protests are continuing in france over changes to the retirement age. this is a road on the outskirts of paris — one of the main orbital routes around the city. last night, french riot police used tear gas and water cannon to clear thousands of protesters

from the streets of the capital. the unrest began after president macron forced through plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, using a rarely—used clause in the constitution to avoid a vote in the assembly. russell trott reports. singing this isn'tjust a rendition of the national anthem, this is a protest by france's own lawmakers. the prime minister was repeatedly heckled. translation: i wasn't angry, i was really shocked. - it reflects the fact that a certain number of opposition groups do not respect our institutions. some of them had said it clearly, they want chaos in the assembly and on the street. president emmanuel macron would have known this move would anger the translation: i wasn't angry,

i was really shocked. - president emmanuel macron would have known this move would anger the people of france, pushing through laws without a vote has always been unpopular. and pension reform has been an inflammatory issue. this is how president emmanuel macron approached the vote. his prime minister invoked article 49.3 of the constitution so they could bypass a vote in the national assembly. that allowed the government to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 — mere minutes before lawmakers were due to vote. translation: we could not gamble on the future of the central reform to preserve our retirement system dealing with possible changes of position of opposition members. protesters across the country do not agree. unions are calling this a declaration of war. translation: it is an important day because we feel that there is anger, determination and that we have to transform that into victory.

and that is our determination. the far right opposition leader marine le pen has said they'll table a vote of no confidence. unions are calling for more protests next week. but for now, mr emmanuel macron is standing firm. this weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the 2003 invasion of iraq by a us—led coalition of countries, including the uk. the initial phase of the war saw an intense aerial bombardment of baghdad, in which one of the many casualties was 12—year—old ali abbas. ali lost his parents and his younger brother in the attack, as well as both of his arms. 0ur diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley — who was based in iraq before the war — has been speaking to him. few iraqis carried deeper scars from the invasion than ali abbas. his father had been desperate to see the end

of saddam hussein's dictatorship. we were farmers. my father was saying that when he see the americans coming, he'lljust make like a party for them. he'll make a barbecue. you know, we werejust hoping for a better life. we were thinking that getting rid of saddam, we will have a good future for iraq. but it's never happened. i never know any family that they haven't lost a loved one, you know? ali's family had fled the capital, baghdad, for safety, but returned thinking the worst was overjust hours before their home was hit by a rocket. i remember the house collapsed on us. fire everywhere. ihear my... my mother screaming and my father also. yeah, it was terrible. i felt the fire burning my body and my arms.

so this picture was the first picture when i arrived in hospital. i remember my neighbour was telling me that when he pulled me out of the rubble, you know, that because my arm was so badly burned... so when he pulled me out, one of my arms came off. the pain just must have been unbearable. yeah, iwas... i wasjust in so much pain. i wasjust... i didn't want to live at that time, you know. it was when his parents didn't visit him that he knew for sure that they were dead. so that's me in the middle. and that's my two brothers. that's maybe four months before the attack. this is my little brother who lost his life. ali now has a precious new family member. hello! his five—year—old son, yusef,

who's with his mother in baghdad, though ali hopes to bring him here. yeah, i have a very good relationship with yusef. he's calling me like four or five times a day, you know, we are always on the phone together. when i go back to iraq, he's always spoiling me, you know, he doesn't let me do anything. he is trying to be my carer, you know, he's taking good care of me. yeah. if i'm trying to do something with my feet, he'lljust say, "no, daddy, i'll do that for you. you don't have to do it." he likes going out with me in the car a lot. you know, he likes my driving. you know, i try to live independent. i do many things, i can write with my feet. i can use the phone. i can also hug him with my with my feet, you know. so it's ok with that. i just want to make a good future for my son, you know, and i hope also maybe i can create my own charity one day and help people who are like in my

situation, you know. i have been through a very difficult time, especially just after the injury. i have to deal with it without parents and without arms. so it was very difficult in the beginning. but i've seen many people with injuries that are much worse than mine. and i always thank god for what i have got. so i think of the positive things. a gene variant which is known to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer has been identified in people who can trace their heritage to the orkney islands, off the scottish coast. geneticists say their study suggests one in 100 people with 0rcadian grandparents will have a version of the brca one gene, which they believe originated hundreds of years ago

on the island of westray. i'm joined now by michael maclennan who is the interim chief executive officer for cancer support in scotland. thank you very much forjoining us today. tell us more about how this discovery was made.— discovery was made. well, the discovery _ discovery was made. well, the discovery was _ discovery was made. well, the discovery was made _ discovery was made. well, the discovery was made by - discovery was made. well, the l discovery was made by scientists from the university of aberdeen who identified a variant which is known to increase the incidence of breast and ovarian cancer in people from 0rkney. 0ne and ovarian cancer in people from 0rkney. one and 100 people have ancestors from 0rkney, and it increases the risk of developing these cancers. and? what contact have you had with people there? 0bviously, really concerned, really worried about this news. how are you planning to support them?— planning to support them? cancer su ort planning to support them? cancer suoport scotland _ planning to support them? cancer support scotland is _ planning to support them? cancer support scotland is here - planning to support them? cancer support scotland is here to - planning to support them? cancerl support scotland is here to support everyone in scotland who has been

affected by cancer. last year, we supported a lady in 0rkney who was in late stages of breast cancer, we offered our services, not only for people who have cancer but also for friends and family who will be affected by this. i think it's really important right now to have this discovery because it means it can lead to earlier detection of these cancers. the early detection of breast cancer can increase survival rates by five times. while this is a big concern for people from 0rkney, it does help in terms of hopefully being able to save lives in the future. it is of hopefully being able to save lives in the future.— lives in the future. it is about scans, checking _ lives in the future. it is about scans, checking to _ lives in the future. it is about scans, checking to make - lives in the future. it is about j scans, checking to make sure lives in the future. it is about - scans, checking to make sure that everything is ok and catching something at the earliest possible stage of its developing. how can people on 0rkney be sure they will get the same level of treatment and support as people on the mainland?

that's a really good question. it is one of those things where it never deals with digital technology it allows people to access services that previously may be were inaccessible in more remote locations. cancer support we offer befriending, workshops, a range of services that means wherever you are, you can get in contact with us, you can speak to councillors, and hopefully, you can find the support thatis hopefully, you can find the support that is suitable for your needs. you touched on — that is suitable for your needs. you touched on this _ that is suitable for your needs. you touched on this earlier, how important is it to expand that support to the people who are supporting individuals with cancer, close family and friends who will be around the individual suffering from this disease? i around the individual suffering from this disease?— this disease? i think it's incredibly _ this disease? i think it's incredibly important. i this disease? i think it's i incredibly important. when this disease? i think it's _ incredibly important. when somebody has cancer, it is not only the person themselves, it is their network who is affected but they can also support the person with cancer. that is why we as a charity look to

support anyone who has been affected. we are also aware that with the discovery like this, it means that people from 0rkney may be concerned about passing on the variant. there will be additional issues they want to discuss. that is why we are here to support those people who have discovered this. thank you very much for talking to us today. interim chief executive of cancer support in scotland. the southern african country malawi has begun a two—week period of mourning, after tropical storm freddy left more than 200 people dead. search operations are still under way for hundreds of people still listed as missing. thousands of people have been left homeless after widespread flooding and mudslides. 0ur correspondent, rhoda 0dhiambo has this update. this is one of the areas that was badly affected by cyclone freddie when it landed in malawi on sunday. i am standing in an area that used to have many houses, but people here are not able to quantify the number

of houses that were here because of how they were built and this is a very densely populated area. today, the president said that rescue teams are finding it difficult to be able to trace victims who are missing because the aftermath of the cyclone destroyed most of the roads, most of the infrastructure, making it difficult for rescue teams to be able to trace and fine victims. we need able to trace and fine victims. - need helicopters, we need people that can drop off supplies to those communities. that seems to be the biggest problem right now. it is a gap that needs to be filled. rescue teams from — gap that needs to be filled. rescue teams from malawi _ gap that needs to be filled. rescue teams from malawi defence - gap that needs to be filled. rescue teams from malawi defence forces| teams from malawi defence forces were able to find one body today but the people in this particular area were concerned that they were not able to go further down where there is a lot of damage because when the cyclone hit malawi on sunday, most

of the rocks in this area fell down and caved in, they fear many people could still be stuck under the rubble and might take a long time before they are able to trace and find their relatives, like this particular woman who has been looking for her daughter—in—law since sunday. translation: we have been looking for my daughter—in—law since monday. at the mortuaries, the temporary shelters and the hospital and we have not yet found her. the president has admitted that the country's response has gaps that they do not have enough personnel to be able to retrieve the bodies of loved ones who are still stuck under the rubble but they are trying their best. from what i have seen on the ground, the malawi defence force came in on good time when they were notified by members of the public to come in and retrieve the body from what they were able to see. but this

is an exercise that they started doing since monday and they are burnt out. the president has asked for international organisations to help with search and rescue so that the people whose loved ones have not been found can have a sense of closure. the united states has welcomed the first meeting of japanese and south korean leaders for 12 years. the summit in tokyo was designed to reset trade and diplomatic relations. 0ur correspondent, shaimaa khalil, says both countries face growing challenges from china and north korea. the top of the agenda, really, was set by north korea just hours before the president yoon was supposed to land in tokyo. north korea fired a long—range inter—continental ballistic missile, and in that, it really demonstrated why it was important for the two leaders to talk to show a united front because of the now frequent missile launchers from north korea. this is the fourth this week. but also not just that, the fact that they also have threats from china, the expansion, its military ambitions in

the region. these are security issues that affect both countries and they both benefit, really, from working together on them. a former professional australian surfer has broken the world record for the longest surf session. blakejohnston eclipsed the previous mark of 30 hours and 11 minutes at cronulla beach in sydney. he's raising money for youth mental health projects and said he felt "pretty crooked" after catching more than 500 waves. he's risked infected ears, dehydration, hypothermia and drowning. he also had to deal with swarms ofjellyfish, and at one point, the lights illuminating the sea overnight went out — meaning he had to surf in the dark. yeah, pretty good. you just smashed the world record, are you tired? yes, i've still got a job to do, though, isaid 40, so... how are you feeling overall at the moment? yeah, pretty good.

stay with us at bbc news and i am on twitter. it isa it is a mild day for the middle of march but a changeable picture today. there is a bit of sunshine around but there is also scattered to heavy showers, perhaps the odd thunderstorm working in through the course of the day despite the mild air. it is unsettled because we have air. it is unsettled because we have a low pressure, to the west, is worrell of cloud, a more persistent area of rain barking into the south—east as well. with the low pressure, the wind is coming from a southerly direction, a bit colder across the north of scotland. we have rain for parts of east anglia and the south—east over the next few hours. the rest of the uk is seeing

a mixture of sunshine and some showers. we are not all going to see them, hit and showers. we are not all going to see them, hitand miss, but if showers. we are not all going to see them, hit and miss, but if you catch one across southern england, the wales, midlands, heavy and potentially thundery. dry weather between the showers. they will continue across northern england and southern scotland. northern ireland clouding over later on, drizzly rain and for scotland a band of cloud in the north, it is a weather front, to the north, it is a weather front, to the north, it is a weather front, to the north, clear skies towards lerwick. most places in the mid—teens today. this and overnight, drizzly showers working northwards on the light breeze. a lot of low cloud, a grey start to saturday morning, temperatures 5 degrees to 9 degrees for most of us. frost in the northern isles. low pressure moving eastwards, setting firmly across the british isles on saturday. that means light winds, similar to today,

sunny spells and scattered showers, some showers could crop up across parts of england and wales and it could be and potentially heavy. persistent rain in the south—east and east anglia. more persistent rain for northern ireland and western scotland later on. temperatures 8 degrees to 14 degrees on saturday. high pressure on sunday, a little more cool in the morning, fewer showers, dry weather, best of the sunshine towards the south and east. more cloud and rain in the north—east later today and highs of around 8 degrees to 14 degrees. bye.

this is bbc news. the headlines... china's president xijinping will travel to moscow, next week for a state visit to hold talks with president vladimir putin. the kremlin says the two leaders are expected to discuss strategic cooperation and a �*comprehensive partnership'. in a joint statement, the uk government and education unions have announced they have agreed to hold "intensive talks" on teacher pay, conditions and workload reduction. the talks will begin today and run over the weekend. also in the uk — following a three day strike this week, doctors' leaders and ministers are being urged to start formal pay talks after a breakthrough on a deal with other nhs staff in england. there have been more

limits on tiktok — new zealand is the latest country to ban the video sharing app on devices linked to parliament, amid security concerns. you are watching bbc news. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's holly hamilton. good morning! we start with some news from crystal palace this morning. the club have sacked boss patrick vieira — after a run of 12 matches without a win. they lost 1—0 at brighton on wednesday — their third defeat on the bounce — and even though they are twelfth in the premier league they are just three points above the relegation places. this was his second season in charge but in a statement club chairman steve parish said they had to act as "results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining premier league status." well, palace travel to the emirates on sunday,

to face premier league leaders arsenal, who saw their european adventure come to an end last night in heartbreaking style. arsenal were on course to reach the quarter finals — when granit xhaka put them ahead.. but pedro gonsalves produced a stunning goal for sporting's equaliser. not one aaron ramsdale will want to see again. arsenal did hit the post — but it eventually went to penalties — and sporting came out on top — winning 5—3. but now the soul focus for arsenal is on their 11 remaining premier league games: we are all disappointed and we have to look at ourselves. i think that we have to do better, to have bigger margins to win the game and not rely on the last 20 minutes or extra time or a penalty shoot—out to go through in the competition. now what we have is the focus, paris, the only focus that we have, and everybody thinking

about one thing, being in the mental and physical condition. a lot of clarity and all the energy is there for sunday. manchester united manager erik ten hag says marcus rashford is getting better and better after he scored again last night in their 1—0 win over real betis to reach the last eight. it's his 27th goal of the season and helped them to a 5—1win on aggregate. it is the example for the team. his performance once again, already, in the recent weeks he is in brilliant form and it looks like he is getting better and betterfrom game to game. and there'll be an english side in the quarterfinals of the europa conference league, too. two goals from jarrod bowen helped west ham beat aek larnaca 4—0 on the night — and 6—0 on aggregate. the cypriot side did play the second half with ten men though. it's gold cup day at cheltenham as the festival draws to a close later.

it's one of the most prestigious races of the jump season and could be one of the most competitive for years. mike bushell is there for us... morning, mike! this world cup final ofjump racing is wide open, you could make a case for all the horses and there will be a huge roarfrom the 68 plus something fans packed into the grandstand this afternoon, as the winner crosses the winning post over here. it has been good conditions, dry and sunny, good for trainers who are not wanted to be too soft and heavy, the clouds are blowing over the hills in the distance. it is st patrick's day, a lot of irish backed horses and racers. you've got noble

yates, the grand national winner from last year, and no horse since golden miller has won the gold cup and grand national in the same calendar year, and grand national in the same calendaryear, but and grand national in the same calendar year, but because the share uniquely there is a bigger gap, four weeks between the gold cup and grand national next month in april, there is this chance to do the double, and noble yates is one of the horses being aimed at the double. then there is the defending champion with rachel blackmore, a much fancied irish horse. 0n rachel blackmore, a much fancied irish horse. on st patrick's day with the irish team looking to win the grand slam, tomorrow in the six nations rugby as well, you be a brave person, a brave man to back against the irish horses, but there is a horse, brave man's game, and paul nicholls' course will be looking to spoil the irish party.

thanks, mike, you can follow that on the bbc sport website and 5live and 5live sports extra. and that's all the sport for now. doctors�* leaders and government ministers are being urged to start formal pay talks after a breakthrough on a deal with other nhs staff in england. unions representing health workers — including nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics — are recommending their members back a 5% pay rise following months of industrial action. i�*m joined now by matthew taylor, chief executive of nhs confederation which is a membership body for organisations that commission and provide nhs services. good morning, thank you for your time. a 5% pay rise from april, but as i�*ve heard from pretty much every nhs worker of interview during this period of industrial action one of the key focuses in taking this action was to deal with pay for last year, and for that they�*ve been offered a one—off payment of at least £1655. clearly they will have lost wages on the straight days, so

do you think this represents a fair offerfor last year? i do you think this represents a fair offer for last year?— offer for last year? i think both sides of negotiating _ offer for last year? i think both sides of negotiating in - offer for last year? i think both sides of negotiating in good . offer for last year? i think both i sides of negotiating in good faith, and that is a great thing. 0bviously and that is a great thing. obviously it should have happened earlier, we call for several weeks, it should have happened earlier, we call forseveralweeks, did it should have happened earlier, we call for several weeks, did months for the government open negotiation, and eventually the call was heeded and eventually the call was heeded and we have seen negotiation, and we hope that the trade unions will recommend this to the members, all but unison are going to... their members will agree and i think this is good news, what we have been calling for. but i think there are two big questions, the first in the junior doctors, because we had three days ofjunior doctor strikes this week in the strike days were very damaging, particularly in terms of our capacity to return to services and reduce waiting lists. we need to see the same kind of creativity and

pragmatism from junior doctors, the bma and from the government to resolve in that dispute, but the second question is, the nhs budgeted for a 3% pay increase next year, and now we have a 5% pay increase, whilst we welcome the uplift in salaries that leaves a gap of around £2 billion plus in our budget so we also need urgently to hearfrom £2 billion plus in our budget so we also need urgently to hear from the government how they�*re going to plug that gap that has now opened up between the money has been given to the nhs and the money we have spent on salaries which of course is the biggest part of our expenditure not tenable to make the audit of our existing _ expenditure not tenable to make the audit of our existing budget? - expenditure not tenable to make the audit of our existing budget? no, i audit of our existing budget? no, the situation _ audit of our existing budget? mfr, the situation next year i'm being the situation next year i�*m being told already is extremely challenging. a high level of demand which will reflect various factors like the ageing of the population. we have the recovered services, seven 8 million people on waiting

lists, that waiting list generally for a cheap procedure so we also have huge waiting list community services and mental health services. and also need to invest so that we don�*t have a winter this year anything like the terrible once we experience and just have just come out of. to do all that is going to be very challenging. and if you add in they need to find this extra 2 billion, there very challenging job becomes almost impossible. going back to the nurse _ becomes almost impossible. going back to the nurse award _ becomes almost impossible. going back to the nurse award and i becomes almost impossible. going back to the nurse award and the ongoing situation with junior doctors, whether the sort of figures there are on offer here are enough to create the sort of stability that is needed in the workforce, clearly, both in terms of retaining staff and recruiting staff?— recruiting staff? yes, that is a very good _ recruiting staff? yes, that is a very good point _ recruiting staff? yes, that is a very good point we _ recruiting staff? yes, that is a very good point we have i recruiting staff? yes, that is a i very good point we have 120,000 vacancies in the nhs, and of course, as the strikers themselves

emphasise, trade unions emphasise, it was notjust emphasise, trade unions emphasise, it was not just about pay, emphasise, trade unions emphasise, it was notjust about pay, also about working conditions because so many people in the nhs are in teams that are understaffed, so we hope that are understaffed, so we hope that his non—consolidated bonus package for the existing financial year and the 5% for next year, the government believes inflation will be down to below 3% by the end of the year, so that 5% could look reasonably generous as the year wears on, so that is a good thing, but it would be a terrible irony, wouldn�*t it, if we put more money into wages and that helps us to recruit and retain by the same time, because that pay increase was not covered, we also need to lay off staff because they could not afford to take them on. that is why we will need an answer to this question about where the money is coming from. education unions in england are to begin talks with the government aimed at resolving the teachers�* pay dispute. for more on this i�*m

joined by our education editor bra nwen jeffreys. tell us the latest, what is the update? tell us the latest, what is the u date? ~ ., ., tell us the latest, what is the udate? ~ ., ., ., , ., ., update? we have had a statement from the four unions. — update? we have had a statement from the four unions, including _ update? we have had a statement from the four unions, including the _ the four unions, including the national education union which has been taking strike action, for listening and will have been very aware of that in the last couple of days, and the governmentjointly saying they�*re going into what is described as intensive talks which are going to start today and continue through the weekend effort to resolve the dispute over pay. it is worth noting that in the other parts of the uk there is no strike action currently under way in scotland, the dispute has been settled. in wales on offer has been considered. so they remain in place where teachers pay remains a huge issueis where teachers pay remains a huge issue is in england, and these talks are aimed at resolving that. in order to create what is described as a period of calm, the national education union has agreed to not

announce any further strike days in the next two weeks, to allow a bit of a pause in which detox can take place. of a pause in which detox can take lace. ., , ., , ., ., . , place. remainder bears what teachers are lookin: place. remainder bears what teachers are looking for — place. remainder bears what teachers are looking for in _ place. remainder bears what teachers are looking for in terms _ place. remainder bears what teachers are looking for in terms of _ place. remainder bears what teachers are looking for in terms of their- are looking for in terms of their pay offer, alongside those issues around conditions, workload, etc. this year in england most teachers will have received a 5% pay offer which the unions are pointing out is way below the cost of living increases we are seeing. the proposal for the government for next year is 3.5% overall and when you break that down, that is 3% for most teachers and an increase in the starting salary for new teachers up to allow a bit of a pause in which the talks can take place. remainder bears what teachers _ the talks can take place. remainder bears what teachers are _ the talks can take place. remainder bears what teachers are looking i the talks can take place. remainder bears what teachers are looking for| bears what teachers are looking for in terms of their pay offer, alongside those issues around conditions, workload, etc. this year in encland conditions, workload, etc. this year in england most— conditions, workload, etc. this year in england most teachers _ conditions, workload, etc. this year in england most teachers will- conditions, workload, etc. this year in england most teachers will have l in england most teachers will have received a 5% pay offer which the unions are pointing out is way below the cost of living increases we are seeing. the proposalfor the government for next year is 3.5% overall and when you break that down, that�*s 3% for most teachers and an increase in the starting salary for new teachers of the £35,000. so that headline figure of

3.5, where the other public sector discussion started, is below the sort of 5% where we are seeing for example settlement with the health unions. this example settlement with the health unions. �* , ., , ,. ,, unions. as we have 'ust discussed, ut the unions. as we have 'ust discussed, put the question _ unions. as we have 'ust discussed, put the question to i unions. as we have just discussed, put the question to my _ unions. as we have just discussed, put the question to my last - unions. as we have just discussed, put the question to my last guest i put the question to my last guest about whether he thought this was a fair offer, given the loss of pay during the strike days, and as you race, the cost of living, the rate of inflation. where do you think teachers are asked at the moment in their thinking? 0bviously teachers are asked at the moment in theirthinking? 0bviouslya teachers are asked at the moment in their thinking? obviously a number of strike days, they say they do not want to disadvantaged pupils any more but is about they say making sure they can also retain and recruit good teachers, so do you think they are prepared to stick this out with more strike days and to try to win more than that 5%? there are many moving parts in this. workload, many teachers feel all the work you do at weekends and evenings and overall this is not truly recognising their pay and we know for the most experienced teachers, independent economists say their pay is followed by 13% up to 2010, so there is a feeling of progress across the public sector. i think if there is movement and some of the

other areas like workload, there would be room for manoeuvre around a settlement, but you�*re looking at those figures in scotland and in wales were the hovering around seven or 8%, wales were the hovering around seven or8%, not wales were the hovering around seven or 8%, not confirmed the government in england would be willing to go that far. campaigners against domestic violence have cautiously welcomed government plans that could see murderers face longer prison terms in england and wales if they have a history of controlling behaviour towards their victims. thejustice secretary, dominic raab, wants coercion or extreme violence to be considered as aggravating factors when judges pass sentence. graham satchell reports. the faces of women, all killed by men, often their partners. a woman is killed on average every three days in the uk. the families of these women, filmed here by the bbc at the end of last year, have been campaigning for change, in particular for tougher sentences.

24—year—old poppy devey waterhouse was stabbed at home 49 times by her ex—boyfriend. her killer, joe atkinson, was sentenced to 16 years. poppy�*s family has always argued the excessive force used in her murder should have led to a longer sentence. today the ministry ofjustice in england is announcing the findings of an independent review of the sentencing of so—called domestic murders by barrister claire wade. it says killers with a history of coercive or controlling behaviour will face tougher sentences, and the use of excessive or gratuitous violence will be made aggravating factors in sentencing decisions. i�*m pleased that that will be brought in. the next step is to find how much weighting that will carry, that will involve lawyers and judges being trained to understand that and to give it the, give it the respect and give the deceased the respect that they deserve. the government has also announced

a consultation on whether a starting point of 25 years in prison should be applied in domestic murder cases. at the moment, it�*s 15. the charity refuge has welcomed today�*s review but says the safety of women remains in peril. the number of prosecutions for domestic abuse has fallen and convictions in their words remain woefully low. graham satchell, bbc news. you might think of homelessness as an issue confined to our big towns and cities — but rough sleeping in the english countryside is on the rise. a study by the universities of kent and southampton says the problem has increased by almost a quarter in just one year — and that support services receive much less funding than those in urban centres. 0ur rural affairs correspondent claire marshall went to west sussex to find out more. mo is finally getting his life back on track after years of troubles.

i got into breaking the law and ending up in and out of prison. got into drink and drugs. basically became homeless all over the place. like thousands of others, he ended up sleeping rough, first in london, then across the rural boroughs, market towns and coastal resorts of the south—east of england. the differences are massive. in the city there were places that i would go. there were crack awareness projects, there were drop—in centres, there would be things like old lock—up garages. if i was homeless, for example, at the moment here, maybe i would have a tentjust over there. it is here in the heart of the kent countryside where mo says he has found some salvation. i was taken from the community where i would be a menace. and now, thank god, through the grace of this village

i�*m able to kind of give back. and i enjoy giving back. but mo is one of the lucky ones. a new report says rough sleeping in the countryside is still on the rise by nearly a quarter in just one year. meanwhile, its authors say rural areas receive 65% less government funding per person than urban areas, for preventing homelessness. all this means that across the country, including here in west sussex, this gap has to be filled by charities and other voluntary organisations. this is roffey place, a former bible college in the countryside near horsham. the charity turning tides is converting it into high support temporary accommodation for 50 homeless people. but to do so it needs to raise £210,000, and relies on volunteers to muck in. like frank, who has been homeless.

he lived under tarpaulin in the woods for nearly two years. it became my life and ijust became this almost feral human being. you know, i was living at the most base level. every day was about, how am i going to get food? how to stay warm in the winter? the charity helped frank, setting him up in his own flat. they completely rebuilt me and put my life back together again. to reach out to those rough sleepers hidden in the countryside like frank, the charity also has this bus. it�*s been converted to act as a mobile support hub. while the charity works closely with the local council, funding all of this good work isn�*t easy. in a 12 month period we will be supporting about 900 people. i so, i am tasked, with my colleagues, to raise £650,000 in a year- to support the charity.

it is enormously challenging to find the money. - and we're always i running at a deficit. the government says local councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads. they are being given a £366 million this year to help with that. meanwhile, mo�*s thoughts are with those other hidden rough sleepers across the countryside. ijust hope, and i pray also, for people who are out there that are going through struggles. don�*t lose faith. don�*t lose hope. and most of all, don�*t lose trust, because to get a stranger to come and help you, that takes massive trust. claire marshall, bbc news, kent. joining me now is franc. he experienced rough sleeping when his landlord sold the flat he was renting. he now volunteers for

charity turning tables really good to have you with this, thank you so much for talking to us. perhaps you could begin by telling us a little bit about your experience of homelessness. yeah, as ou experience of homelessness. yeah, as you exoiained. — experience of homelessness. yeah, as you exoiained. i— experience of homelessness. yeah, as you exoiained. i very _ experience of homelessness. yeah, as you explained, i very quickly _ experience of homelessness. yeah, as you explained, i very quickly by - you explained, i very quickly by myself homeless because i got evicted from my flat by a rogue landlord. in the beginning it was very difficult, because i did not have any skill set to cope with what was happening to me. i got on a bicycle and i decided i would stick to rural areas, only live in the woods on the edge of small towns while i tried to get my life sorted out. so that was about it. i stayed away from the city centre because it seemed like i would end up sleeping in doorways i would be there forever and never get out, so that was that. interesting that you gravitated

towards the countryside, in more rural setting rather than a town or city centre. what was that like vince because in the countryside you are away from that other human contact, no matter how peripheral it is, from the lights and busyness of an urban setting? it is very isolating, there is no doubt about that. initially, in some way it kept me going... i that. initially, in some way it kept me going- - -_ that. initially, in some way it kept meaaoin... ., ., ,, ., me going... i had to make trips and ian into me going... i had to make trips and plan into the _ me going... i had to make trips and plan into the future, _ me going... i had to make trips and plan into the future, had _ me going... i had to make trips and plan into the future, had to - me going... i had to make trips and plan into the future, had to go i me going... i had to make trips and plan into the future, had to go and l plan into the future, had to go and get waterfrom plan into the future, had to go and get water from petrol stations, plan into the future, had to go and get waterfrom petrol stations, had to go and charge batteries, travel quite a distance to get food, and the other thing was, when it came to winter, you were enclosed for maybe 14 hours a day because it was dark and i could not get like, so winters were very difficult, i spent two winters under a tarpaulin, if you like, it was quite difficult. during

that time, like, it was quite difficult. during that time. you — like, it was quite difficult. during that time, you say _ like, it was quite difficult. during that time, you say you _ like, it was quite difficult. during that time, you say you didn't i like, it was quite difficult. during. that time, you say you didn't want that time, you say you didn�*t want to be in a doorway any city centre because you felt you would never escape from that life, so you clearly had in your mind you needed to make a change, so tell us a bit more about how you came into contact with turning tables and how that led to a change in your life.— to a change in your life. turning tables, to a change in your life. turning tables. what — to a change in your life. turning tables, what happened - to a change in your life. turning tables, what happened was i to a change in your life. turning tables, what happened was the | tables, what happened was the landowner i was pitched upon in these deep dense woods in worthing, he turned up one day and said you have to go, you have been here quite a while. i explain my situation to him and he was very understanding b—side now you have to go, you have to go and try to get yourself into some kind of accommodation. so that is when i reached out to turning tides, i had already been attending most days down at their community hub, an open cafe and service centre with washing machines, showers, one to if you needed it, food, good

breakfasts, so i had already been going there for a while and i went down and i said i�*m in trouble, i need to get off this land and i cannot find anywhere else to pitch now, so i�*m in trouble. they took control right from that very moment, it was at that moment my life started to improve, because they got me in touch with the council, got me declared legally home ice and then they got me into a temporary accommodation and then one day they phoned me and said why don�*t you come in for a chat and we will see if we can help you further, get you into one of our projects and see what all your problems are in your life and see if we can get them sorted and that is exactly what they did. ., , ., ., sorted and that is exactly what they did. ., i. ., ., ~ ., sorted and that is exactly what they did. ., ., ., ~ ., ., did. now you are working on a ro'ect did. now you are working on a project to _ did. now you are working on a project to create _ did. now you are working on a project to create a _ did. now you are working on a project to create a 50 - did. now you are working on a project to create a 50 bed i did. now you are working on a i project to create a 50 bed facility in the sussex countryside. you are on the other side now trying to help people who wire, who are in the position you were in. that must feel an amazing opportunity for you, given what you were?—

an amazing opportunity for you, given what you were? yes, that's uuite a given what you were? yes, that's quite a life _ given what you were? yes, that's quite a life octagon, _ given what you were? yes, that's quite a life octagon, to _ given what you were? yes, that's quite a life octagon, to be - given what you were? yes, that's i quite a life octagon, to be sleeping rough three years ago to now helping the organisation that help me in the people they are helping. it is an incredible project, 50 bedrooms, i�*ve been there a few times now and it is an amazing place. i've been there a few times now and it is an amazing place.— it is an amazing place. thank you so much for talking _ it is an amazing place. thank you so much for talking to _ it is an amazing place. thank you so much for talking to us, _ it is an amazing place. thank you so much for talking to us, turning i much for talking to us, turning tides, i had turning tables written down hair, my mistake. turning tides is the fantastic organisation you are working with. thank you for talking to us. are working with. thank you for talking to us— more than 1,000 passport office workers are going on strike for five weeks in a dispute over pay and conditions. members of the pcs union in england, scotland and wales will take part in the action from april the 3rd to may the 5th of may. those working in belfast are being balloted and could join the strike. the union warned the action is likely to have a "significant impact" on the delivery of passports

ahead of the summer. a major review of the metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. lady casey — the uk�*s first victims�* commissioner — was appointed to review the met�*s culture and standards after the murder of sarah everard by wayne couzens, a serving policeman. her second report is due out on tuesday and the bbc has been told the findings are "very serious". three million people who applied for a driving licence since april 2020 have experienced delays — costing some theirjobs or income. that�*s according to a group of mps. the public accounts committee said dvla customers with medical conditions were especially badly affected, with some experiencing isolation and worsening mental health. the dvla said processing times were now back to normal. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with sarah keith—lucas. another very mild day for the middle

of march, but a changeable weather picture, some sunshine but also scattered heavy showers, the thunderstorm working into the course of the day, despite the mild air. 0n settle because we have low pressure, you can see on the satellite image to the us this world cloud, also a more persistent area of rain working its way to the south—east as well, but with that low pressure to the west, that means the wind is coming from a southerly direction, most of us... colderacross from a southerly direction, most of us... colder across the north of scotland. a bit of rain to come for parts of east anglia. the rest of the uk seeing a mixture of sunshine and a real peppering of showers. we will not all see them, they will be hit and miss, you may catch them across southern england, wales, potentially thundery. plenty of dry weather in between some of the showers, across northern england and southern scotland. northern ireland

clouding over a little later, perhaps in drizzly rain, for scotland we have this band of cloud sitting in the north, to the north of that, clear skies up the lerwick. quite chilly there. most places in the mid—teens today. through this evening and into tonight, still some drizzly showers working their way gradually northwards on that very light breeze, a lot of low cloud, quite a murky grey start saturday morning, my wooden mate, temperatures about 5—9 for most of us, and up towards the northern isles a touch of frost. low pressure drift slowly eastwards, sitting firmly right across the british isles during the day on the saturday and that means lighter winds, so similar to today, sunny spells and scattered showers but a few see some of these cropping up on saturday, particularly across parts of england and wales, they can be slow moving, potentially heavy as well, so more persistent rain in the far south—east and east anglia, more persistent rain for northern ireland and western scotland later on as well. the temperature is between about 8—14 on saturday, still mild for the time of year, a ridge of

high pressure into sunday, a slightly cooler start to the day, peer showers for sunday, a pyramid of dry weather, probably the best of the sunshine towards the south and thatis, the sunshine towards the south and that is, more clouding outbreaks of rain working into the north—west of the uk later in the day and highs of around 8—14.

this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. our top stories... ukraine�*s foreign minister has warned that countries failing to support kyiv during its darkest hour will be held to account. china�*s president, xijinping, is to make a state visit to russia next week. more than 1,000 passport office workers will go on strike for five weeks over a dispute aboutjobs, pay and conditions. the uk government and education unions have agreed to hold "intensive talks" on teacher pay, conditions and workload reduction. and a former professional surfer has broken the world record for the longest surf session in australia