BBC NEWS DAILY

By Nafeesa Shan

Royal Mail and driving examiners strike as rail walkout continues     Commuters are once again facing the prospect of fewer train services as rail workers enter the second day of a 48-hour strike. Today they will be joined by Royal Mail employees and driving examiners who will be on picket lines staging separate walkouts. Industrial action is picking up pace, and by the end of the week seven different areas of the UK workforce will have been on strike, some over multiple days - the chart in our story has the details. Disputes centre around higher wages. And even though one woman, who runs a business that relies on Royal Mail, said walkouts were "frustrating", she supports strikers. "Everyone has a right to fair pay," she said. We've also taken a look at some other views from both sides of the picket line. So, what do people think about this situation? It seems not everyone has had enough of the disruption. The latest poll by Savanta Comres suggests 60% backed the strikes while 35% opposed them, which is a very small change from a survey at the end of October. This wave of strikes also comes as the Office for National Statistics revealed the average pay rise for private sector workers was 6.9% between August and October, it was 2.7% for public sector employees - here's the full story. There's no sign of a thaw in the row between workers and companies, our employment correspondent Zoe Conway says. Here's her low-down on how today's strikes will affect you. Read up on who is striking and what their pay claims are

BREAKING NEWS  |  The latest figures show inflation fell to 10.7% in November. It's a slight drop from 11.1% in October, suggesting price rises are slowing down. Here's the latest as well as what this could mean for you.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried denied bail     Crypto, or digital currency, has been in the spotlight following a case involving a tycoon named Sam Bankman-Fried. He is the founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, who has been charged with what authorities described as "one of the biggest financial frauds in US history". He appeared in court in the Bahamas and has been denied bail over concerns he was a "great" risk of flight. He's accused of a number of allegations including using billions of dollars of customer funds to prop up his investment trading company, Alameda. Last month, FTX filed for bankruptcy in the US, owing its 50 largest creditors almost $3.1bn (£2.5bn), court papers said. Mr Bankman-Fried, who faces eight criminal charges in the US as well as civil ones, was remanded until 8 February. The crypto tycoon has previously admitted to mistakes, but denied intent to defraud his customers. He has indicated he will fight extradition to the US. Read more here. Find out more about cryptocurrency and what its terms mean

Generous donations mean free dinners for schoolchildren     When the families of children at a primary school in Bradford told BBC News they were cutting back on hot lunches because of rising costs, something unexpected happened. Dixons Marchbank Primary started being inundated with donations. After our report last month, more than £50,000 has been given to the school. It's enough to pay for lunches until the summer for those who take up the offer. "The kindness of people has been unbelievable," head teacher Helen Haunch said. She revealed some staff were in tears when they received calls and emails from hundreds of people wanting to help. Take a look at the difference this will make.

How a British special forces raid went fatally wrong   When a British special forces team raided a family home in Afghanistan in 2012, they killed two young parents and gravely wounded their infant sons. A BBC investigation has revealed that special forces command didn't refer the incident to military police and it was never investigated, until now.  That day, 6 August 2012, began like any other at the Uzbakzai family home. The only thing out of the ordinary, according to the family, was the arrival of two unknown male visitors. In rural Afghanistan, it is not uncommon to receive unexpected guests, and tradition dictates that they are shown hospitality. But Abdul Aziz Uzbakzai felt himself becoming wary of the two men, he said, and he called his eldest son Hussain to close the shop early and come home. Later that night, military helicopters would descend through the dark sky over Southern Afghanistan and land near the family’s home, and the raid that followed would change their lives forever.           Read full article >         Hannah O'Grady and Joel Gunter BBC News

What the papers say     Rishi Sunak's plans for the asylum system and the latest news on strikes are the main stories leading this morning's papers. The Daily Mail carries an exclusive interview with the prime minister in which he reveals plans to change the law on migrants claiming asylum. He will "stop those who get here by cheating", the Daily Telegraph reports, but there is a backlash from Tories about plans to house migrants in holiday camps, the i newspaper says. Mr Sunak's pledge to clear the asylum backlog appears in the Times, which focuses on the nurses strike taking place tomorrow. The Daily Mirror also carries this story, reporting that nurses are asking for public support. Rail strikes lead the Sun while the Daily Express looks into the wider industrial action taking place. Meanwhile, the founder of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, and a dog crashing a car also make the headlines. Read the newspaper review in full here.

Daily digest         Ukraine war Explosions in central Kyiv amid air raid warning       Top Gear Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff hurt in accident       Royals Prince William and Kate release family Christmas card image       World Cup Watch Messi and Alvarez fire Argentina to the final

If you watch one thing today 'I want to be prepared for any eventuality'

If you listen to one thing today The board games trying to fix real-world problems

If you read one thing today Can we set aside a third of our planet for nature?

Need something different?     Movie goers were transported to the planet of Pandora when Avatar - the highest-grossing film of all time - hit cinemas in 2009. Now, there's a follow-up, Avatar: The Way of Water, which takes viewers back to that place. Critics have had a sneak peek before its Friday release and this is what they thought. Next, to something else that is no stranger to the big screen - the world of gaming. From Sonic to the upcoming Super Mario movie, films about this world have proved popular. Gaming has also made it on to our TV screens but what about audio drama? Radio 4's airing an adaptation of Splinter Cell. So, is this the next frontier? Find out here. And finally, on the subject of frontiers, scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, promising a potential source of near-limitless clean energy. But what is it and how does it work? We've investigated.

On this day     1995 Leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia sign the Dayton Accord in Paris to end three-and-a-half years of war in the Balkans.

From elsewhere       Gap in pay growth between the public and private sectors has never been wider (ITV News)         Six common myths about strike action, from salaries to public support (Big Issue)             Nuclear fusion: How long until this breakthrough discovery can power your house (CNN)       Demystifying order: Why embracing chaos can be positive too (El Pais)

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