of the country s most influential aboriginal leaders, yunupingu, who has died at the age of 7a. hello and welcome. let s look at some of the main stories in the uk. uk passport office workers are staging five weeks of industrial action over pay, pensions and job security. union reps say walking out now will cause maximum disruption, because people will be trying to renew their passports in time for summer travel. the british government has called the industrial action disappointing and says it s working to manage the impact it may have. our employment correspondent zoe conway reports. it s at this time of year that the passport service is at its busiest as people get their passports renewed in time for the summer. the pcs union says it s going on strike now to cause maximum disruption. 1,900 civil servants are directly involved in issuing passports. the union says more than 1,500 of them will go on strike. the union says there needs to be a dramatic improvement on last year
our other main news this lunchtime. intense security as the man convicted of murdering liverpool schoolgirl olivia pratt korbel arrives at court for sentencing. a 26 year old woman is detained after the killing of a military blogger who supported russia s war in ukraine. and remembering mobile phones the size of bricks it s 50 years today since the first call was made on one. coming up on the bbc news channel: sacking season in full flow. chesley and leicester s search for a new manager and way after saying goodbye to brendan rodgers and graham potter. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. schools in england are facing more strike action after members of britain s biggest teaching union overwhelmingly rejected a government pay offer. 98% of national education union members who voted turned down a one off thousand pound payment on top of a wage rise. the union s leaders described the offer as insulting , while the government called it fair and reasonable . the
good morning. withjust one month to go until liverpool host the eurovision song contest, i am here to find out about the economic benefits it will bring, and as organisers take over the venue, we have got some other special access. a special trip for rob and lindsay burrow to the coronation street cobbles, as the rugby league legend helps the soap with its storyline on motor neurone disease. good morning. a cold and frosty start for but for many it will be dry with lengthy spells of sunshine, variable cloud, especially in the north west where it will be breezy. the man who shot and killed nine year old schoolgirl olivia pratt korbel in liverpool last year will be sentenced for her murder later today. thomas cashman fired shots into olivia s family home on the 22nd august, during what prosecutors described as a ruthless pursuit to execute another man. her death stunned not only merseyside but the entire country and sparked a six week manhunt, as police appealed for informati
and 48 hours to come up with the next generation of video games. we ll be hearing from the man behind the global gamejam. hello there. we start here in the uk, where the bank of england has raised the cost of borrowing for the tenth time in a row. the half a percent rise puts uk interest rates at 4%, their highest level in more than 1a years. a bonus, of course, for savers, but it piles more pressure on businesses and those with mortgages, loans and credit card debt. the good news is that the bank now thinks the uk s recession will be shorter and less severe than it previously thought, and there s a hint that rates may not have to go any higher. but a recovery could take years as our economics editor faisal islam reports. the squeeze continues. an official interest rate of 4% should not feel huge, but it does, and notjust here in nuneaton, forjoanne, who runs a furniture and gift shop. the mortgage a furniture and gift shop. the mortgage on a furniture and gift shop. th