the deputy managing director of merseyrail, the train operator, is andy heath.go on strike, it is your peak day, there must be, one imagines, huge destruct delete mac disruption. the grand national is our busiest day and also a showcase for the city region. in terms of the train services operating today we are looking to operate a strong robust service between liverpool central and aintree, the same number of trains to and from the races as we did last year so in terms of capacity we will be able to convey people comfortably and safety. you say the same as last year, at peak times last year you could operate trains every seven and a half minutes, so you can do that again this year? yes, we are operating at seven and a half minutes as we did la st seven and a half minutes as we did last year 's. to do that presumably managers have to get involved, because i understand the aslef union drivers are refusing to cross the rmt picket line. today arfon 13th of march our drivers have decided not to cross picket lines. the service todayis to cross picket lines. the servic

merseyrail said staging the strike today would damage liverpool's reputation.nd finally the bbc radio 2 broadcaster brian matthew has died at the age of 88. his broadcasting career spanned almost 70 years, and for many listeners he will always be synonymous with the programme the sounds of the 60s, which he presented from 1990 until last autumn. let's ta ke let's take a look at the prospects for the weather. very nice today. but what about the next few days? here is darren bett. it really has been a super start to the weekend, temperature is widely at 20 or 21 and for some it could get even warmer. killing off under clear skies, mist and fog later in southern england and cloud towards north—west scotland and northern ireland. we can take some degrees away from those temperatures for the areas but warming up quickly in the sunshine, the fog does not last and lots of sunshine in the morning for england and wales and eastern in scotla nd england and wales and eastern in scotland but a change from the north—west, cloud increasing and some rain coming into scotland

merseyrail say one in every three racegoers use merseyrail trains, so the numbers involved here inevitablyere are queues anyway, but at peak times particularly, racegoers arejust being told to plan theirjourneys, ta ke being told to plan theirjourneys, take account of it. reeva trains said they expect there will be disruption and are asking passengers to think about using other routes but this is one of the biggest days of the year for merseyside and they are in good spirits, as you have been able to see this morning, but the rmt picket line at the front of the rmt picket line at the front of the station is evident to everybody coming off trains today. for the moment, thank you. the headline... swedish police are questioning a man who they believe is the driver of a lorry that killed four people when it was driven at pedestrians in stock. the united states has warned it could take further military action and sanctions against the syrian government hours after it fired a barrage of cruise missiles. and a strike by rail workers at the rmt union is expected to disrupt services to the grand na

merseyrail said staging the strike today would damage liverpool's reputation.biggest impact possible. so, what about the racing at the grand national today, the most famous steeple chase in the world? andy swiss watched all the drama. under sweltering skies the stage was set. 70,000 fans arrived to sunshine at aintree, and that annual dilemma, predicting the winner of one of sport's most unpredictable events. in the end, blaklion set off the marginal favourite, although setting off took some time. two false starts, before eventually, it was third time lucky. that's it, they are off and racing. the 40 runners headed off around the famous fences. inevitably, there were fallers, but for the fifth year running, all horses and jockeys returned home safely. with three fences left, blaklion led but he had company, and as they came over the last, one for arthur, ridden by derek fox edged in front. only last month, fox broke his wrist and collarbone in a fall. he only returned from injury three days ago, but he held off cause of causes and saint are for a thrilling win.

merseyrail said it transported around 12,000 people to aintree for the grand national, compared withlymouth teenager has been telling the bbc how he stumbled across a missing man who'd been down a hole in the woods for more than a week. izaak egglington watts had shouted into the hole expecting to hear an echo, but got the fright of his life when a man answered back. john ayres has more. it was meant to be a pleasant walk in slimbridge woods for isaac and one of his friends but what happens next to both by surprise. this is the home that me and my friend find when we were walking in the woods. i leaned in and shouted hello, to hear the echo. and that is when i got the response. the moment was captured on a mobile phone. are you all right? do you need some help?” a mobile phone. are you all right? do you need some help? i was terrified to begin with, it is pitch black with nothing in there, to hear that coming back. hold on! emily? call an ambulance or something. the man in the hole was james thompson, 51. he was last seen on cctv in plymouth one month earlier. when he was found he wa

decision to stage a 2k hour strike involving merseyrail on the day of the grand national horse race at aintree. also in the next hour... honouring seven young people who've made extraordinary contributions to their communities. we'll speak to 14—year—old abbey booker, who volunteers to help children in care. and coming in half an hour... click looks at whether voice—controlled personal assistants live up to the hype. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. we start this hour with breaking news. we are getting very few reports that two people have died at a fire at a care home in hertfordshire. we believe that to be new grange care home in cheshunt in

the rmt union has defended its decision to stage a 2k hour strike involving merseyrail on the day of grand national horse race at aintree. also in the next hour... honouring seven young people who've made extraordinary contributions to their communities. we'll speak to 14—year—old abbey booker, who volunteers to help children in care. and coming in half an hour... click looks at whether voice—controlled personal assistants live up to the hype. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. we start this hour with breaking news. we are getting very few reports that two people have died at a fire at a care home in hertfordshire. we believe that to be new grange care home in cheshunt in hertfordshire. these are the pictures we have at the moment. we have reporters finding out exactly what has happened there but you can see from those images that a fierce fire has taken hold it up emergency services are there, the fire brigade at the scene. we have reports at this stage that two people have been killed in that fire at new grange ca re killed in that fire at new grange care home in hertfordshire

the rmt union has defended its decision to stage a 24—hour strike involving merseyrail on the day ofrand national horse race at aintree. also in the next hour...honouring young people who've made extraordinary contributions to their communities. the seven winners collect their prize at a ceremony in manchester for the 10th anniversary of the rotary young citizen awards to help children in care. and in half an hour. charting the rise of china's snooker superstar in enter the dragon. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. swedish police say a man arrested in stockholm after yesterday's fatal lorry attack is almost certainly the driver, and a 39—year—old man from uzbekistan. four people were killed and 15 injured when the lorry crashed into the front of a department store. police have also confirmed that a "suspicious device" was found inside the truck. our correpondent, dan johnson, reports. after yesterday's horror there is calm, stillness and sadness in stockholm. people have come to together. time to reflect, a moment to remember. we were walking in the shop yesterday when it happe

workers on both merseyrail and northern are on strike.roblems, merseyrail is prioritising services to and from the course, but it's at the expense of its other routes. the last line goes at 630 in the evening, causing some to lose out on the biggest race of the day at 515. both companies anticipate widespread disruption on all services. there will be cancelled trains and replacement buses. the other company involved in the strike, southern, says it will have a near normal service, butjust a driver on board. this dispute began in southern a year ago and spread to the north of london in recent weeks. it is over the role of the guard on trains. talks to resolve the issue keep breaking down. richard westcott, bbc news. despite that rail strike around 70,000 people are expected at aintree today. this year marks a0 years since the legendary red rum completed his unmatched treble of grand national wins as andy swiss reports. it remains one of sport's ultimate challenges. this year marks a string of anniversaries at aintree. 50 years since an out

merseyrail said staging the strike today would damage liverpool's reputation.ossible. at 18 minutes past seven, the headlines on bbc news: foreign secretary borisjohnson has called off a visit to moscow, saying the chemical weapons attack in syria has changed the situation "fundamentally". two people have died and 33 others were rescued after a fire at a care home in hertfordshire. swedish police say certain that the uzbek man they've arrested is the one who carried out yesterday's attack in stockholm. a 1a—year—old boy has appeared in court in northern ireland accused of trying to buy as machine gun and 100 rounds of ammunition for the dark web. the boy appeared in the magistrates' court. the schoolboy who cannot be identified because of his age was arrested here at the riverside retail park on thursday. his detention came after several weeks of what was described as a proactive police investigation link to the online dark web. it's alleged the 1a—year—old had used the dark web in an attempt to buy a gun and bullets which were to be used to intimidate a third

to limit the disruption, merseyrail has laid on a special timetable to and from the course, but othersult. northern rail says it has moved the times of its last services from lime street to later in the evening. the strikes, about the role of the guard on trains, began on southern rail a year ago, and has spread to companies in the north of england in recent weeks. southern says it expects to operate a near normal service today because more of its trains can run withjust a driver on board. so far, talks to try to resolve the dispute have broken down. jon ironmonger, bbc news. let's get more in our top story, the aftermath of the attack on stockholm. i'm joined via webcam from stockholm by the swedish investigative journalist per hermanrud. thank you forjoining us. why this particular area of stockroom —— stockholm, do you think? there was a man arrested last night, and he was arrested in a suburb of stockholm, a place known to be where there are lots of islamic terrorists living there, basically. but for now we don't know anything about the motive of the attack, we just know that four

merseyrail said it transported around 12,000 people to aintree for the grand national, compared with a 14—year—old boy has appeared in court in northern ireland accused of trying to buy a submachine gun and ammunition from the dark web. he arrived at the magistrates court. the schoolboy who can't be identified because of the sage was arrested here at the riverside park on thursday. the detention came after several weeks of what was described as a proactive police investigation linked to the online dark web. it is alleged the 14—year—old had used the dark web in an attempt to buy a gun and bullets which were to be used to intimidate a third party. he had gone to the retail park to meet someone about this, however, his contact turned out to be a police operative and he was arrested. a detective told the court the schoolboy was arrested as part of an investigation into the online dark web. this involved an attempt to buy a submachine gun, and 100 rounds of ammunition. the schoolboy appeared in court flanked by a police officer and his father, and spoke only to confirm his identity and t

members of the rmt at merseyrail, arriva trains north and southern walked out for 24 hours. people to aintree for the grand national, compared with 18,000 last year. more now on that discovery of a bomb—like device by police in norway. the gronland area of the capital oslo has been cordoned off and a suspect has been detained. there have been reports of a possible controlled explosion. the police are quoted as saying the device has limited potential to cause damage. officers in some norwegian cities are carrying guns in response to the lorry attack in neighbouring sweden. yes, i'm right in the heart of the gronland area, near the central station of oslo. now the police cordon has been lifted. life is going back to normal. i can confirm that there was a controlled the nation. i heard the blast myself, quite a big blast. now behind me you can see a green tarp. behind that, about 20 metres back, is where the bomb or bomb like device was detonated. what sort of an idea might there be for a target round there are? it's obviously not right in the city centre. it is really close to

the action, involving southern, merseyrail and arriva rail north, is part of an ongoing dispute over. merseyrail said choosing to strike on the day of the race meeting would damage liverpool's reputation. we have a strong relationship with the rmt and we have engaged in previous discussions and we would welcome further discussions. we made it quite clear that should a dispute ta ke it quite clear that should a dispute take place on grand national day it would not change our stance. however we are willing to negotiate because we are willing to negotiate because we need to resolve this for the benefit of customers. new trains is a fantastic opportunity for the city region and is something we should both graphs with both hands and make it happen. the survey indicates massive support from the public to retain guards. we had no issue from racegoers today. passengers are paying for this level of safety in their ticket prices, so why, as a passenger, would you want to pay even more on your ticket price for less safety solely to benefit the province of the private train operators? we think i

merseyrail said industrial action on the final day of aintree would damage liverpool's reputation, but explain its reasons to racegoers. despite that rail strike, around 70,000 people are expected at aintree today. this year marks a0 years since the legendary red rum completed his unmatched treble of grand national wins, as andy swiss reports. it remains one of sport's ultimate challenges. this year marks a string of anniversaries at aintree. 50 years since outsider foinavon romped the unlikeliest of wins. it's a tremendous reception. you've never heard one like it at liverpool. a0 years since red rum roared to a third victory. well, the challenge of the national is still like nothing else. these huge fences make it one of sport's most unpredictable events and, as history has proved, anything can happen. so, who will 2017 belong to? well, many are tipping this horse, definitely read, trained in yorkshire, aiming for glory. the pressure's always there anyway, whether you're running the national or any other race, but no, it's great. i've got one of the favourites. all we want to do is g

the action, involving southern, merseyrail and arriva rail north, is part of a dispute over staffinghe role of conductors. an lead the author i will speak to the author scarlett thomas about her switch to writing for children and the creation of a fictional world full of magic and danger. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are the broadcasters penny smith and charlie wolf. good evening to you both. before we speak to them, let's have a look at some of those front pages, starting with boris johnson's some of those front pages, starting with borisjohnson‘s decision to cancel his trip to russia, that the lead in many of the papers. the mail on sunday says the kremlin has "slammed" mrjohnson for cancelling his visit. the sunday times says britain and america will directly accuse russia of complicity in war crimes in syria. the sunday telegraph says the foreign secretary's cancelled trip —but the picture that dominates the front page shows the owners of the grand national winner, one for arthur. and the independent has it's own

the action, involving southern, merseyrail and arriva rail north, is part of a dispute over staffingion to strike on the day of the race meeting would damage liverpool's reputation. we have a strong relationship with the rmt and we have engaged in previous discussions and we would welcome further discussions. we made it quite clear that should a dispute take place on grand national day it would not change our stance. however we are willing to negotiate because we need to resolve this for the benefit of customers. new trains is a fantastic opportunity for the city region and is something we should all grasp with both hands and make it happen. survey shows massacre of respect from the public. —— show support. passengers are paying for this level of safety in the ticket prices so why is the passenger would you want to pay more on your ticket price or less easy? to benefit the profits. we think it is unacceptable and passengers deserve a safer railway and is safe —— a second safety critical person on the train. the chief executive of ford has said he cannot guarantee the company will con

workers at southern, merseyrail and arriva rail north are conducting a 24—hour strike, as part of anispute over staffing. the strike is expected to affect thousands of racegoers making their way to the grand national. now, on bbc news, snooker player ding junhui is a superstar in china. in this documentary, we follow ding, with behind—the—scenes access, as he plays in guangzhou at the china championship. if you want to know what it is like to be a sporting icon in a country with more than a billion people, ding junhui can tell you. there is the sense of national pride when you win a major tournament. there is the media attention — everyone wants to speak to you and a vast television audience watches every match to play. you get invited to glamorous events. your adoring friends are always thrilled to meet you. social media needs to be kept updated, with nearly five million people following you. there is also knowing that your success has helped spark a snooker revolution in china. the next generation of stars has been inspired to play because of you. and a new type of snooker luxury c

members at southern, northern and merseyrail will strike in an ongoing dispute around the role of conductorsle are expected at aintree today. this year marks a0 years since the legendary red rum completed his unmatched treble of grand national wins, as andy swiss reports. it remains one of sport's ultimate challenges. this year marks a string of anniversaries at aintree. 50 years since outsider foinavon romped the unlikeliest of wins. it's a tremendous reception. you've never heard one like it at liverpool. a0 years since red rum roared to a third victory. well, the challenge of the national is still like nothing else. these huge fences make it one of sport's most unpredictable events and, as history has proved, anything can happen. so, who will 2017 belong to? well, many are tipping this horse, definitely red, trained in yorkshire, aiming for glory. the pressure's always there anyway, whether you're running the national or any other race, but no, it's great. i've got one of the favourites. all we want to do is get him there and, in the race itself, have a bit of luck. yesterday was ladies'

the rmt union has defended its decision to stage a 24—hour strike involving merseyrail on the day of

the rmt union has defended its decision to stage a 2k hour strike involving merseyrail on the day of

members of the rmt union at merseyrail, northern and southern are striking for 2h hours in a row abouter reports. judith moritz is that liverpool's lime street station. it is one of the busiest days here, grand national day, more than 40,000 rail passenger journeys made national day, more than 40,000 rail passengerjourneys made on this day. today the passengers are walking past a picket line manned by the rmt union and the northwest regional organiser is with me. darren, what prompted the strike action? it is not the first time you have been out on strike and you have chosen grand national day. any strike is high profile and there are three companies taking industrial action today, and this day has been chosen because it has come from our membership. they want to strike on the 8th of april, on a weekend, under anti—trade union laws we need to give 14 days it noticed there by the time the committee considered the time the committee considered the decisions, after the last action was taken there were increased notice periods. this dispute has wise and on that —— widened on merseyside and