at edinburgh zoo. and coming up on bbc news... manchester united's champions league hopes in the balance, with �*keeper onana in the spotlight after letting their lead slip at galatasaray. good afternoon. rail strikes by the rmt union are over for now. its members have voted to accept a pay deal, to end their year—long dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions. they will get a backdated pay rise of 5%. it means the end of the union's mandate for more strikes until at least next spring. but another rail union aslef is pressing ahead with more industrial action starting tomorrow. here's our transport correspondent katy austin. it's been nearly a year—and—a—half since the long—running series of strikes on the railway began. commuters like these in west sussex have had to get used to it. if you want to go to work instead of being stuck at home, yeah, it disrupts normal everyday life 100%. i don't understand why there's so many. i haven't been able to go into work as frequently as i otherwise would do. i understand why the unions have been striking and i've supported them throughout. today's news means the end of rmt walk—outs, for now at least. in march, maintenance workers and signallers accepted a deal, but thousands of other union members who work for the companies which run the trains continued strikes. they have now accepted proposals involving a backdated pay rise for last year of 5%, more for the lowest paid, and job security guarantees, but a pay rise for the current financial year will still depend on agreeing changes to ways of working that the government and industry say are needed. discussions on that will continue next year with individual operators. we will renegotiate in the new year in the spring time and we will see what the companies want to pursue, so it's a pause, a respite, but it's not, we're not celebrating this — it's another step forward in the progress. there hasn't been the same progress in the train drivers�* dispute. they are in a different union, aslef. ideas with me now. so i it is a mixed picture for passengers? yes. mixed picture for passengers? yes, and what peeple — mixed picture for passengers? yes, and what people need _ mixed picture for passengers? 13:3 and what people need to know now is that tomorrow is the start of a nine—day overtime ban by train drivers in the aslef union and also from this saturday until next friday there are rolling strikes on different operators each day, so people will need to check before travelling. aslef previously rejected an offer which the industry says would take average driver wages to £65,000 a year. both sides say they want to get to an agreement, they want to get to an agreement, they want to get to an agreement, they want to get background the table but they still seem very far apart at the moment. kat? table but they still seem very far apart at the moment. katy austin, our transmrt _ apart at the moment. katy austin, our transport correspondent, - apart at the moment. katy austin, our transport correspondent, with | our transport correspondent, with the latest, thank you. the former health secretary matt hancock has told the covid inquiry that he tried to wake up whitehall in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. he defended himself and his department against criticism from previous witnesses and blamed what he called a toxic culture within government at the time as seeing anything that went wrong as intentionalfailure. 0ur correspondent ellie price is at the inquiry. ben, i think it gives you a sense of the strength of feeling against matt hancock, i can show you the protesters in the background, who have not been here every day but certainly today felt the need to come out and express their views, their criticism format and clock, something of which we heard plenty about in the inquiry today. matt hancock i think used this as an opportunity to defend his record, he was very defensive in his tone. he started out by expanding that he thought his department had risen to the challenge at the start of the pandemic, despite all that criticism we have already heard. and he said that it was actually up to his department to try and wake up whitehall to the dangers of the pandemic. he also talked about an unpleasant, toxic culture at the very centre of government, again, something we have heard an awful lot about, about how the personalities were working with the prime minister, with senior civil servants, but he said that had the effect of really putting off departments like his from actually doing the right thing, he said often mistakes that were made were seen as intentional, rather than just simple mistakes. i think the other point to bring to he was this idea that he said his single biggest regret had been not pushing on this idea that asymptomatic people, people without covid symptoms, could spread the disease, and he said he should have overridden scientific advice at the time to try and formulate more policy on that. so i think, significant moments here at the inquiry, he is due to give more evidence this afternoon. ellie price, thank _ evidence this afternoon. ellie price, thank you _ evidence this afternoon. ellie price, thank you very - evidence this afternoon. ellie price, thank you very much, l evidence this afternoon. ellie price, thank you very much, at the covid inquiry. in the last few minutes it's been announced that the former labour chancellor alistair darling has died. he was aged 70. he served in the cabinet for 13 years and helped steer the uk through the financial crisis in 2008. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo is in westminster. leila, how will he be remembered? someone identified very closely with the labour, he had been a cabinet ministerfor many years in the labour, he had been a cabinet minister for many years in the labour government, but he will be before his role between 2007 and 2010, as chancellor under gordon brown, when the uk economy, he had to steer the economy through the global financial crisis, of course, the bailout of rbs, the collapse of northern rock, a hugely turbulent time for the northern rock, a hugely turbulent time forthe uk, northern rock, a hugely turbulent time for the uk, and northern rock, a hugely turbulent time forthe uk, and he northern rock, a hugely turbulent time for the uk, and he was at the helm in the treasury during that time. but his family this morning released, well, in the last few minutes, released a statement announcing his death, saying that he had died after a short spell at the western general hospital, under the wonderful care of the cancer team, so, his family confirming in the last few minutes that alistair darling had been suffering from cancer and died at the age of 70 after a short illness. we have also had a trip from sir keir starmer, the labour leader, who has described the labour leader, who has described the loss to the labour party as immeasurable, paying tribute to his family and describing alistair darling as having a life devoted to public service, and mentioning his time at the helm and guiding britain through, in the words of keir starmer, the tumult of the global financial crisis. he also of course became a leading voice in the campaign to keep scotland as part of the uk during the independence referendum, that was after his time in government, he left the commons in government, he left the commons in 2015 beforejoining in government, he left the commons in 2015 before joining the house of lords, so, a huge figure within new labour, an experienced cabinet minister and of course the chancellor under gordon brown during the financial crisis, the very sad news that alistair darling has died at the age of 70.— at the age of 70. leila, thank you very much- _ israeli police say palestinian gunmen have shot dead three people injerusalem. they say the two attackers opened fire at a bus stop during the morning rush hour and were then killed by off—duty israeli soldiers and an armed civilian. it comes as the ceasefire in gaza between israel and hamas has been extended into a seventh day. hamas is designated as a terror group by the uk government. hugo bachega reports. half past seven in the morning in jerusalem. as people head to work, two gunmen get out of this white car and open fire. an off duty soldier in a red card response, shooting at the attackers. this was found inside their car. the attack happened in their car. the attack happened in the morning rush—hour of this busy road, one of the entrances to jerusalem. the attackers stopped their car here, got out and opened fire on people waiting at this bostock. this deadly attack is another sign of heightened tensions in israel and another sign of heightened tensions in israeland in another sign of heightened tensions in israel and in the occupied palestinian territories amid the israel hamas war. israeli security officials said the two attackers who were shot dead were palestinian brothers. hamas said they were members of the group. translation: members of the group. tuna/mom- members of the group. translation: , , ., , members of the group. translation: , , ., ., translation: this event proves again how we must — translation: this event proves again how we must not _ translation: this event proves again how we must not show— translation: this event proves again how we must not show weakness, - translation: this event proves again how we must not show weakness, that | how we must not show weakness, that we must speak to hamas only through the scope of war. against hamas, we must fight. the the scope of war. against hamas, we must fiuht. . ., . ~ the scope of war. against hamas, we must fiuht. . . . ~ ., , , must fight. the attack happened shortly after _ must fight. the attack happened shortly after an _ must fight. the attack happened shortly after an extension - must fight. the attack happened shortly after an extension to - must fight. the attack happened shortly after an extension to a i shortly after an extension to a ceasefire truce in gaza was announced. more hostages should be returned to israel later today. but diplomatic efforts for a prolonged deal continue, with us secretary of state antony blinken visiting tel aviv. . , ~ , aviv. over the last week the very ositive aviv. over the last week the very positive development _ aviv. over the last week the very positive development of - aviv. over the last week the very| positive development of hostages coming home, being reunited with theirfamilies, and that coming home, being reunited with their families, and that should continue today. in their families, and that should continue today.— continue today. in gaza, the humanitarian _ continue today. in gaza, the humanitarian crisis - continue today. in gaza, the i humanitarian crisis continues, continue today. in gaza, the - humanitarian crisis continues, the un says more aid needs to get in urgently. the ceasefire has stretched into another day, but palestinians wonder for how much longer it will last. hugo bachega, bbc news, jerusalem. 17 thai workers kidnapped and held for weeks by hamas in the gaza srip have finally returned home to thailand. relatives gathered at bangkok airport to greet them. some had thought their loved ones were dead and only found out they were still alive when they saw pictures showing their release. shane macgowan, the front man of the irish punk band the pogues, has died at the age of 65. # and the bells are ringing out for christmas day #. he was best known for the festive song fairytale of new york, which was released in 1987. announcing the news on instagram, his wife said she was "blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him". this year will be the hottest in human history, according to the united nations. its secretary—general says we are living through "climate collapse in real time" which he says should send shivers down the spines of world leaders. it comes as delegates have gathered for crucial talks on the fight against global warming, the cop—28 climate conference, which opens today in the united arab emirates. from there, our climate editor justin rowlatt reports. the latest un conference opened in a country whose foundation is the wealth created by oil and gas. here in dubai, activists are ready to do battle. i in dubai, activists are ready to do battle. ~' .,, , , battle. i think the fossil fuels industry has _ battle. i think the fossil fuels industry has had _ battle. i think the fossil fuels industry has had a _ battle. i think the fossil fuels industry has had a lot - battle. i think the fossil fuels industry has had a lot of- battle. i think the fossil fuels i industry has had a lot of power battle. i think the fossil fuels - industry has had a lot of power over the process for a long time, and i think that this hasn't sabotaged the process, so, we need to dismantle this power and give the power back to the people. i think that is what will change this cop process and deliver results. but will change this cop process and deliver results.— will change this cop process and deliver results. but the president of cop28 says — deliver results. but the president of cop28 says he _ deliver results. but the president of cop28 says he has _ deliver results. but the president of cop28 says he has listened . deliver results. but the president of cop28 says he has listened to | of cop28 says he has listened to people like vanessa and understands the world has to change. heater people like vanessa and understands the world has to change.— the world has to change. never lose siaht the world has to change. never lose si . ht of the world has to change. never lose sight of our north _ the world has to change. never lose sight of our north star _ the world has to change. never lose sight of our north star of _ the world has to change. never lose sight of our north star of 1.5. - sight of our north star of 1.5. because _ sight of our north star of 1.5. because that is... applause because that is what i am going to salo laser focused on. because that is what i am going to salo laserfocused on. that 1.5 because that is what i am going to salo laser focused on. that 1.5 is a reference to the world's commitment to limit the temperature rise to no more than 1.5 celsius, crucial to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. 2023 will almost certainly have been the hottest year ever recorded, and mrjammeh said he was ready to unlock finance to help the developing world switch to clean energy and deal with the impact of climate change. every country on earth is represented here, and he promised to urge them to dial up efforts to cut emissions and invest in renewable power. the question now is, can he deliver? and there have been some really interesting developments on that delivery front here in dubai. the big debate in egypt was whether there would be a loss and damage fund, designed to compensate poorer countries for the impacts of climate change right now, the floods, hurricanes, droughts, that they face. after much debate it was agreed that would happen. well, he has now opened that fund here in dubai and people are already paying income so, the uae paid in $100 million to the loss and damage fund, germany put in $100 million, the uk put in £6 million, the us searched around the back of the sofa and found £17.5 million, so, joking apart, there is real money being put into a fund that developing countries have argued for, for years, so, already here in dubai, there are significant developments on tackling climate change. justin brown for us in dubai, thank you very much. the time is 13.15. our top story this afternoon. members of the rmt union end their long—running pay dispute — meaning no more strike action until the spring at the earliest. but until the spring at the earliest. the aslef rail union tech but the aslef rail union is still tech to take industrial action in the coming days. and coming up... the author of a controversial book on the royal family speaks out after copies are taken out of book shops in the netherlands. coming up on bbc news — ronnie 0'sullivan is in second round action at the uk snooker championship. the world number one is up against robert milkins for a place the cost of living crisis seems to be pushing more people to borrow from loan sharks. the organisation which prosecutes loan sharks says that this year it's supported more than twice the number of victims compared to last year. england's illegal money lending team says more people are borrowing small amounts from loan sharks. 0ur cost of living correspondent colletta smith has been hearing from one father from the west midlands, who got caught in the debt trap. like so many people, anthony grew up in a home where it was normal to borrow cash from a doorstep lender. did it feel like he was a friend? yeah. it felt like he was a family friend. i've always had pretty decent credit. like, i've had cars and stuff. it was just a convenient thing at the time that helped us out. you'd never think of anthony as vulnerable, he can more than stand up for himself. but those loans from a friend soon became a trap. always something comes up, especially when you have kids. christmas was the biggest one. like, you want your kids to have a good life, go on holidays and things like that, and make memories with kids. if someone's standing there, "here's a big wad of cash," then you're going to do it. how much do you reckon you paid back over the years then? 0ver ten grand, easily. and anthony isn't the only one. the team prosecuting loan sharks in england have had a very busy year and it's notjust people with poor credit ratings that need the money. over 30% of the victims last year hadn't been refused credit from somewhere, it was just this was what they did, this is how it was done in their estate, or it was someone at the school gates who was lending money, so that's what they did. it was just handy. yeah, absolutely, no paperwork, instant cash. but fast money soon becomes a trap. no, you can't shut the door and if you've got 150 whatsapp messages coming through a day and they are threatening to name and shame you on social media as a bad debtor, which means your parents will see that and your employer will see that and your neighbours will see that, that has a massive impact on people. it's bullying, basically, by another name. itjust happens to be attached to money. if i borrowed £100, i had to pay back £160 or £170. he knew when i got paid, he knew the date because it was always a fixed date and he turned up like clockwork at my house when my wife was home alone saying sleazy stuff to her, like, there are other ways you can pay it off. having borrowed so much, anthony felt there was no way out but to keep paying. it's not illegal to lend money to a friend, but it is illegal to lend lots of people money, to charge interest, often with no paperwork. if you've borrowed from someone the important thing to remember is that you're a victim. it's the loan shark who's committed the crime. anthony's lender has now been convicted and this christmas is going to be very different. how are you going to manage as a family this year, do you think? we've saved throughout the year. we're a lot happier now we are skint. so it's just you live within your means, that's the best advice i can give anyone. if you haven't got the money to do it, don't do it. colletta smith, bbc news. he was a towering yet deeply controversial figure, one of the best known statesmen of the 20th century. henry kissinger, the former us secretary of state, has died at the age of 100. he advised a dozen presidents and pioneered the concept of shuttle diplomacy. in the 1970s he reached out to china and won the nobel peace prize for helping to negotiate an end to the vietnam war. but critics have also claimed he propped up friendly dictatorships and have a