hello and welcome. celebrations have been taking place in sri lanka after gotabaya rajapaksa became the country s first sitting president to quit. he did so after months of angry protests over the rapidly rising cost of living, and shortages of food and fuel. the delay in handing over his letter of resignation was, it seems, to do with his flight from the maldives to singapore. from colombo, rajini vaidyanathan reports. a moment to savour, after months of struggle. now there s joy. these demonstrators had one key demand, that the man they blame for their economic woes resign. tonight, president gotabaya rajapaksa did. protesters say they are celebrating what represents a victory for people power. it s the end of the rule of the rajapaksas, after a week of turmoil on the island. just yesterday, at the prime minister s office, security forces were overrun by protesters. it was one of a number of government buildings taken over by the masses. today, protesters handed it back to
hello there. we start with the cost of living crisis because the uk is facing a summer of discontent over pay, according to the head of the biggest private sector union. sharon graham, who runs the unite union, has told the bbc it s not militant to ask for pay rises in line with inflation, currently running at over 9%. she says tens of thousands of her members, from bus drivers to refuse collectors to factory workers, are involved in pay disputes around the country. this warning comes as railway workers announce more strike days over the summer. here s what she had to say to our economics editor faisal islam. before people turned around to workers and say to workers, not only have you got out and defended the pandemic, because it was key workers and ordinary people that did that, now it is over, we want you to pay for it. now that is actually abhorent to me. the idea that we set out you go, you defend what is going on out there and by the way, now you are back and everyon
get the staff. radio: i see you coming down the ladder now. i that s one small step for man. ..one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight. for the first crash - in the 30 year history of concorde, the world s only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia but now, a decade later, it s been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there s been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunctioning sperm unable to swim properly. seven, six, five. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously- quiet this lunchtime - as children bury their noses
this is bbc news with the latest business headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. summer of discontent. the uk faces a wave of strikes if staff don t get the pay rises they need, warns the boss of the biggest private sector union. 2.5 trillion euros in the red could italy tip europe into a new sovereign debt crisis? long covid for the world s number two economy. china s growth rate slumps after weeks of lockdowns in its major cities. plus oiling the wheels. president biden heads to saudi to push for more oil but is there anything left in the pipeline?